Clarent Blood Arthur
by kingofbeasts
Summary: What happens when Ilyasviel von Einzbern summons a different Berserker for the 5th War? More importantly, what if the one she summoned has an axe to grind against a certain King of Knights?
1. Chapter 1: The Summoning

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or Fate/Zero. Type Moon does. *Bow*_

KingofBeasts Productions Present:

_**Clarent Blood Arthur: A Fate/Stay Night Fanfiction**_

**Two Months before the 5th Grail War.**

It was a cold winter's day in the Siberian tundra. No, that was putting it mildly; it was the kind of winter that would bring even the toughest man to his knees. The frigid temperatures, the harsh winds, and the constant danger of frostbite while trying to survive a frozen wasteland. There was also the dangerous elements that lurked in every turn; be they ravenous wolves or fierce bears, they would want nothing more than to devour your warm flesh to fill their hungering bellies to survive this cruel wilderness.

This was the kind of day one Ilyasviel Von Einzbern was experiencing.

It was no fault of her own though; For the Einzbern family, this was a rite of passage. After years of losing the Holy Grail Wars (their most recent defeat the most stinging), they would want nothing more than to final earn a victory and reclaim the fabled Third Magic. So saying that everything was at stake would be quite the understatement.

Young Ilya had her own reasons for joining the war, however; Her mother, Irisviel, had been brutally murdered and became the Grail. Kiritsugu, on the other hand, ordered his servant Saber to destroy the Grail, dashing the hopes and dreams of the Einzberns concerning the Grail. Oh, if only it stopped there; the man never returned to the family estate, opting to remain in Japan and adopt a son named Shirou.

It was this knowledge that Ilya had grown a festering hatred deep within. She hated Kiritsugu for leaving her, her mother for dying on her and, most important of all, she hated the boy Shirou for stealing her father away from her. As such, she had one goal in mind.

Kill Shirou Emiya.

She knew that she wasn't going to live long; after the 5th War, she'll only have a year to live at best. Such was the curse of being a homuculus. Still, that meant that all she had to do was win the Grail War. Odds are Kiritsugu taught the boy at least some of the basics of magecraft. The fact that Avalon, the fabled sheath to King Arthur's Excalibur, was missing meant that it was in Kiritsugu's possession.

After adding all the facts up, Ilya concluded that Shirou would end up summoning a Saber Class Spirit. To be precise, the spirit of Arturia Pendragon, who she saw before the 4th War started.

This leads us back to now, the young, pale-skinned homunculus in a tattered white dress running for her dear life from a pack of wolves with naught but a wooden splinter. Looking back, maybe she should have gone with the stone slab...

* * *

_**Flashback:**_

"_What's this?" Jubstacheit von Einzbern, patriarch of the Einzbern clan, looked shocked, if not disappointed "You do not wish to use the great slab of Heracles?"_

"_That's right!" Ilya affirmed cheerfully over a cup of tea._

"_But why child?" The ancient man wondered "Having Heracles at your side should give you an edge in the coming war! He's perfect for the Berserker class!"_

"_That's true." Ilya placed finger on her chin and looked up in thought "But I don't wanna just win..."_

"_Oh?" The patriarch raised his eyebrow "Tell me then, little homunculus, why choose a little splinter of wood over a mighty stone slab?"_

"_Because, grandpa," Ilya put down her tea and looked at "Old Acht" in the eye, her red orbs narrowing in a determined glare though her childlike voice remained "This 'little splinter of wood' came from the Round Table itself. I just know that the Saber who appeared before will come back. That's why I wanna summon Lancelot; we both want to make Shirou Emiya and his Servant pay for what they've done. I want a Servant who knows my pain, who knows what it feels like to be abandoned."_

"_Acht" had to admit; he was impressed with his granddaughter's ruthlessness. He also thought of the sweet irony; That once again, A Knight of the Round Table will fell Arturia Pendragon, while Ilya would vanquish Emiya's adopted son, and win the Grail for the Einzbern family. _

_To sum it all up: Things would go full circle._

"_Very well." Jubstacheit grinned "If that is what you want, little Ilya. Summon your Servant and kill that Emiya boy, then win the Grail for our clan." _

_She looked back at him with those burning red eyes while a small yet confident smile formed on her little face. All in all, she was looking forward to the 5th Grail War._

"_I will."_

* * *

The wolves believe that they had trapped a scared, pale-skinned little girl the snow clearing. The snarling beasts circled around their prey, licking their chops in anticipation of an easy meal. Woe, indeed, to this unfortunate young girl who lost herself in the forest only for her to end as their meal.

Little did they know that this was no ordinary girl, and they stumbled into Ilya's summoning circle.

The silver-hair homunculus smirked as she extended her arm, which held her catalyst, while the Summoning Circle began to glow ominously. The ravenous wolves suddenly became wary and for good reason; their prey never glowed like a light bulb. Having gathered enough prana, Ilya began the incantation:

* * *

_Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.  
The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.  
Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill).  
Repeat every five times.  
Simply, shatter once filled._

――――_I announce.  
Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword._

_Yet, thou serves with thine eyes clouded in chaos.  
Thou, bound in the cage of madness. I am he who command those chains.  
In accordance with the resort of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.  
Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.  
You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance ―――__！_

* * *

A blinding flash engulfed the area, a pale light bathing the already white landscape, the brilliance forcing Ilya to look away.

When the light faded, Ilya looked in disbelief; There stood a warrior clad in red, wearing plate armor compelte with a breastplate, spaulders, gauntlets, and greaves. A helmet was also worn to cover the entire face, thus masking the warrior's identity. While the Servant was short in stature, it still had this imposing aura that made it seem larger than it really was. The Servant Beserker had appeared to fight and defend the Master who summoned it.

Needless to say, Ilya pouted, a little disappointed that she did not summon Lancelot like she intended.

The wolves, on the other hand, did not seem deterred by the presence of the armored Servant. One of them, eager and starving, lunged at the mysterious individual thinking that it'll be easy prey.

It was a huge mistake on the wolf's part, as it was immediately sliced in half by the stranger's intricately decorated silver sword held in the left hand.

The rest of the pack, as if insulted by the prey's insolence to kill one of their own, jumped in eager to sink their fangs into Berserker. However, that proved to be in vain. With each swing of the sword a wolf fell, it's crimson blood staining the white snow that blanketed the wilderness, their yelps echoing through the barren wasteland.

Eventually, the yelping stopped. The entire pack lay there slain, their blood splattered all over the place. Satisfied with the results, the Servant sheathed it's sword and turned to Ilya, gazing at her as if measuring the young girl up. Instinctively, Berserker knelt on on one knee, as if it was a knight before a princess, and inquired:

"I ask of you, little girl; are you my Master?"

* * *

**At the lounge, Einzbern Manor, a few hours later.**

Jubstacheit Von Einzbern was impressed.

The fact that Ilya had managed to summon the Servant Berserker a full two months before the Grail Wars was no small feat. Though she did not get Lancelot like she wanted, but this Servant seemed impressive enough to help the girl survive.

Ilya herself was a bit astonished. She recalled the earlier conversation she had with her Servant while they were back in the wilderness

* * *

"_You can talk?" The young homunculus looked astonished_

"_Yes I can, Master." Berserker replied, a little apprehensive of the little girl before her "Is that going to be a problem?"_

"_N-no! It's just that..." Ilya furrowed her brow in thought "The Mad Enhancement should easily rob you of your sanity..."_

"_You mean that unexplainable bloodlust I felt earlier?" The Servant inquired in a female voice that was muffled by the helmet "I did seem to rob me of my reason, but it wore off as soon the battle ended. I kind of enjoyed it, though."_

_Ilya took all this in silently, amazed that her Servant could seemingly control her madness at will. "This will be fun" she thought to herself, a little over her disappointment of not summoning Lancelot._

"_So, uhm..." began Ilya nervously "Do you have a wish you want granted by the Grail?"_

_At that, Berserker grew quiet with her head down. Ilya feared that she might have struck a nerve._

"_I-it's okay if you don't want to tell me!" She waved her arms in a panic, not wanting to start off on the wrong foot._

"_It's fine." The knight sighed "It is but a simple wish. All I want..." While the helmet hid it well, there was sorrow in her eyes "Is for my father to love me."_

_Ilya's heart stopped upon hearing her Servant's wish. She could not see her eyes, but she knew that the memories of her father caused Berserker pain._

"_Just like me..." thought the pale-skinned girl, who immediately thought of her father. To this day, she wondered why he never came back. Did he not love her? _

_Ilya immediately shook her head to snap out of it. She decided to shift the subject for now, knowing that there will be time to ask later._

"_What's with your helmet?" asked the little homunculus, her tone of voice returning to it's jolly tone "It looks funny."_

"_Oh, you mean this?" Berserker, shaking herself out of her reverie, tapped her horned helm "It's one of my Noble Phantasms, Secret of Pedigree. It hides everything about me from the enemy; my name, my personal skills, and even my other Noble Phantasm."_

"_You have another one?!" Ilya exclaimed in childlike glee, her crimson eye widening in wonder "Ooh! Ooh! Can I see? Can I see?"_

_Underneath that helm, Berserker's lips curled up into a smile. She found the joy in Ilyasviel Von Einzbern's eyes to be infectious._

"_You'll get your chance, milady." the knight chuckled "We still have to finalize our contract first. What is your name, young Master?"_

"_Ilyasviel von Einzbern, but you can call me Ilya if you like." The little girl giggled._

"_That will do."_

_She planted her weapon on the ground, then bent on one knee._

"_I, Servant Berserker, pledge to serve thee, Lady Ilyasviel von Einzbern, as your loyal Servant from this day forth. Do you accept?"_

_Ilya smiled genuinely when she saw Berserker do what she did. While she wanted to know the identity of her new Servant, that will have to wait later. Right now, she placed a hand on Berserker, a warm soft touch in contrast to the cold hard steel, and smiled at her warmly._

"_I accept. Rise, Servant Berserker." She gently took her hand "Let's go home."_

"_Yes, Master."_

* * *

Ilya had just finished explaining the details to "Acht". While he did seem impressed with the Servant's capability, he wanted to know more about this new Berserker.

"So, you tell me that you are one of the Knights of the Round table?" he probed.

"That is correct." Berserker answered, sitting on the couch while tousling Ilya's hair.

"Were you a famous member?"

Berserker paused to consider her words, before saying "More or less."

"I see..." Acht was fairly impressed with the Servant's parameters. For all intents and purposes, she was also eligible for the Saber class. Then again, most of the Knights of the Round were, even Lancelot. The fact that she can turn her Madness Enhancement on and off at will made her all the more enticing.

"My granddaughter mentioned that you bear another Noble Phantasm." continued the ancient Einzbern "Perhaps you would care to demonstrate it?"

"Yes, Berserker!" Ilya squeaked with delight, hugging her Servant "I wanna see that other Noble Phantasm of yours!"

While she wished not to reveal her trump card to the old man, Berserker found it hard to refuse the request of her master. Even without a Command Seal, the red knight felt compelled to obey the little girl's whims.

"Very well." Berserker sighed, standing upright. "We'll need to take this outside. Oh, and one more more thing," She turned to the old man, the helmet hiding a manic, battle hungry grin.

"Give me something to hit."

* * *

So, they found themselves outside, by an open field the size of a football field within the mansion grounds. This place was meant to train Ilya and her Servant once the summoning was successful. It was fitting that it would be used right now to test Berserker's capabilities.

To the side stood Ilya, clad in her signature purple winter coat and hat, standing beside her grandfather while watching Berserker face off against three giant golems, each as big as a small house.

"Just say the word, Master." Berserker turned to Ilya, who gave the Servant a nod of approval. She felt the effects of the Madness Enhancement kicking, but found that it was not in a level that takes away her ability to speak nor the ability to use her Noble Phantasm and some of her personal skills. It did take away her ability to think in any line other than "Kill, kill, kill." Not that she minded, though.

As if by instinct, Berserker began to charge prana around her armor, manifesting itself as an eerie red glow. Moments later, she propelled herself with the force of a jet turbine, dashing to her opponents in a speed the human eye can hardly follow.

"_Prana Burst?!" _thought Jubstacheit while Ilya watched in awe. He had only heard of one Servant who manifested that skill. The fact that a Berserker used the same skill was pretty amazing.

"Go Berserker! You can do it!" cheered Ilya from the sidelines, which seemed to have the same empowering effect on the Servant akin to a Command Spell.

Using Prana Burst, she reinforced her sword and raised it to defend against three very large fists coming at her. To her delight, the prana she used shattered the each if the golem's fists effotlessly, leaving them with one good arm apiece.

The solid constructs continued their assault, swinging wildly and stomping the ground in an attempt to get her while they had the chance. Alas, the Servant was simply beyond their reach; she thrust her sword up at one unfortunate golem, her prana powering her blade so that the leg shattered at impact. As soon as it toppled on it's back, Berserker leaped into the air drove her sword into into it's chest, destroying it's core and giving the Servant one less opponent to deal with.

Her instincts on overdrive, Berserker sensed one golem trying to strike her from behind. Using Prana Burst to give her a boost in speed, she jumped to the before he could land a blow strong enough to shatter the deactivated golem she was standing on. She somersaulted in the air and, after landing behind it, hacked at the construct relentlessly. The sound of metal breaking stone was heard with each slice, taking the giant piece by piece until only it's head remained. Berserker capped it off with one final stomp, shattering the head into tiny little pieces.

She then turned her attention to that one last golem, who lost an arm earlier in the fight. She expected it to charge at her, raise that log of an arm to try and smash her, but it didn't. Instead, it edged away from it's opponent. As if it was cautious.

As if it was afraid.

Berserker sensed it and grinned under her helmet. _"Time for the coup de grace." _She raised her sword and, soon after that, her helmet vanished into thin air. The face under it was that of a fair maiden; blonde hair, tied in braid and a ponytail, that shimmered in the sun; a complexion as white as snow; cheeks as smooth as silk and eyes as green as emeralds (though they were glowing red as an effect of the Madness Enhancement).

To Acht and Ilya, seeing that face was akin to seeing a ghost. It reminded them both of the Saber Kiritsugu Emiya summoned ten years ago. Yet this one was different somehow, they just couldn't point it out yet.

As Berserker raised her blade, it began to glow with an ominous blood-red light. Whilst this was reminiscent of Arturia's Excalibur, this was different; while the "Sword of Promised Victory" was a holy sword, this sword was something akin to a demonic weapon. Which fit, as Berserker looked like creature straight from Hell as the blood-red mists of prana swirled around her weapon.

"You wanted to see my Noble Phantasm?!" She roared as she raised her sword to strike after gathering the sufficient amount of prana required "Well here it is! CLARENT-"

She saw the golem twitch ever so slightly. In her vision, though, she saw that one person she adored and hated at the same time, the one who defined her existence as a knight and a person.

Arturia Pendragon.

"BLOOD ARTHUR!" She swing down the bloodied blade, the mass of red light released in a destructive wave that spared nothing in it's path. This golem was no exception; it was completely obliterated when the surge of energy crashed it's form, leaving not even a speck of dust to sweep.

With the battle over, the Madness Enhancement subsided and Berserker returned to normal, her thoughts clear and her eyes back to their green color. She then turned to the Einzberns and saw varying reactions; while the old man stood silent in awe, her young Master was simply full of delight.

"That was so cool!" Ilya squealed, her hands making animated gestures while her crimson eyes twinkled like stars "You were like, BAM! Then BOOM! It was so amazing!"

"I'm glad that you enjoyed the show, milady." Berserker bowed, then turned to the old man, who still remained silent and wide-eyed. "What say you, Lord Einzbern?"

"Who are you?" Old Man Acht finally spoke, though he already had his suspicions.

"Please tell us your name, Berserker." Ilya spoke in a soft, innocent tone beside her "I want to know as well."

Berserker paused to consider this for a moment. She really didn't want to at this point, but didn't have the heart to refuse her Master's request. After a deep sigh, she faced them both with confident grin as she declared her true name.

"My name is Mordred, Son of Arturia Pendragon and Morgan Le Fay."

* * *

**End Chapter 1**

_A/N: Good day, fellow readers! KingofBeasts here with my latest project: Clarent Blood Arthur! If you've been following my other fic, K-Online, don't worry! I still intend to continue that fic to the end!_

_For those who are still wondering: Yes, this is the Mordred from Fate/Apocrypha brought to Fate/Stay Night in a what-if scenario where she's the Berserker Ilya summoned. With that kind of change, who knows what will happen in the 5th War?_

_Saber: I don't even want to think about it. Why didn't you just stick with Lancelot? I'd rather face Heracles than her..._

_Because I wanted to use a character who has a good reason to hate your guts. That way, Ilya will prove to be a more dangerous foe to you and your beloved Master Shirou. At least, we can find out how dangerous she will be once I post up the stat sheet next chapter_

_Saber: To think she has Saber class stats in Apocrypha canon. This is just great..._

_It's alright, Saber-chan. You'll still be a bad-ass anyway. Anyways, if you loved it, hated it, or you can't seem to make up your mind about it, leave a review! Reviews are a writer's best friend after all. Now, Saber, if you don't mind. _

_Saber: Very well...Next time on Clarent Blood Arthur: Over the Sea!_


	2. Chapter 2: Over the Sea

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or anything from the Fate Series. They all belong to Type-Moon. I really want to say that I do, but I don't want to eat an Enuma Elish in the face. With that in mind, we continue this tale._

KingofBeasts Productions Present:

_**Clarent Blood Arthur: A Fate/Stay Night Fanfiction**_

**Chapter 2: Over the Sea**

**3:00 pm, The Airport. Two Days before the Grail War.**

"N-Never again..."

Berserker has fought over hundreds of battles, faced foes of incredible power and even stood toe-to-toe against Arturia Pendragon herself. It goes without saying that very few things scare Sir Mordred of the Round Table.

Flying on an airplane happened to be one of those things.

"I'm never riding one of those monstrosities again..." The girl, clad in a white tube top that showed her midriff under a red long-sleeved open leather jacket, denim short shorts of the Daisy Duke variety and black boots (I.e her casual wear in Apocrypha), looked nauseous after she exited the plane, her legs trembling in terror and beads of sweat gushing out of her pores.

"Oh cheer up, Berserker!" Her Master, Ilyasviel von Einzbern, skipped along the runway with her Servant in tow "It's my first time to fly, too. I found it quite fun!"

"Easy for you to say, Master." The blonde tried maintain her composure and decorum as a knight, but found that she was failing at that so miserably. "Men were not meant to soar that high..." Sure, Servants like her materialized with knowledge of the current age, but she didn't have to like flying!

Watching the usually unshakeable Berserker feel so uneasy amused Ilya. It had been a really hard two months since she summoned her; she was given rigorous training in the art of magecraft and fighting in tandem with her Servant. It didn't help that Berserker acted like a drill instructor during those joint sessions. Well, at least she was kinder than her grandfather.

Still, the little _ojou _had grown quite fond of Berserker. Using the library the Einzbern's had at their manor, she read up on Arthurian Legends, especially the one's regarding Mordred, and didn't find them to her liking. Many of them described her as a traitorous knight who, through the manipulation of her mother Morgan Le Fay, sought to overthrow King Arthur and claim the throne for herself. Even her title, "The Knight of Treachery", implied that she was evil.

"_They're wrong!"_ the little girl thought stubbornly as she remembered all she read _"Berserker's not like that! It's true that she's strict and that she's scary when she's fighting, but she's also kind and brave. She's also lonely. All she wanted was her father's love...just like me."_

"Is something troubling you, milady?" Berserker inquired, seeing her Master's eyes narrowing and cheeks puffing in indignation. She thought that she looked kind of cute, not that she would ever say it out loud lest she earn the girl's wrath.

"It's not fair what they say about you." Ilya grumbled. "They say you're a bad person, but I think you're really cool!"

Mordred couldn't help but chuckle at that. She had grown used to her Master's childish demeanor (despite the fact that she was actually nineteen years old in a pre-teen's body). In fact, it was these quirks that made her grow fond of Ilya.

"You honor me with your words, young Master." Berserker smiled as she ruffled the pale-skinned homunculus' hair. "Indeed, the history books have painted me in a undesirable light, but I am happy to know that you believe in me."

"Of course I do! You're my Servant, after all, and we're going to win the Holy Grail!" Ilya giggled as she held her Servant's hand, which caused Berserker's heart to warm a little.

They walked through the airport terminal to find a peculiar individual waiting for them holding up a cardboard sign that said "Einzbern". He graying black hair that was slicked back; gray eyes , a straight nose and a mustache with a goat beard. His pale skin, though slightly wrinkled, still shone with the glow of a man in his prime. He was thin bordering on wiry and had a lean physique that fit his figure. He wore a black suit with long coat tails over a white long sleeved polo. He also had black slacks and black leather shoes. Lastly he wore white cotton gloves that fit his calloused hands. All in all, he perfectly looked like an old butler.

"Lady Einzbern?" The man inquired in a voice that somehow had a dignified, yet rough edge in it.

"May I know who asks?" Berserker asked, looking at him warily.

"My name is Morimoto," her introduced himself with a stiff bow "And I've been assigned by your grandfather as your butler and humble servant for your stay in Japan."

Ilya gave Berserker a nod, which told the blonde that the guy was safe. "Thank you." The homunculus gave him a curtsey. Likewise, Berserker nodded towards the butler.

"Now," Morimoto motioned them to come with him "If you'll follow me, I shall take you to your car, _oujou-sama._"

Ilya nodded and let the old butler lead the way, Berserker following closely, stopping to get their luggage before they made their way out of the airport. By the gates stood a sleek black limousine, no doubt reserved for the Einzbern Master and her Servant.

"This way, _ojou-sama_." Morimoto opened the rear door and motioned for Ilya and Berserker to enter. As soon as they took their respective seats in the spacious limo, the butler entered behind them and closed the door.

"Driver, take us to Einzbern Castle."

With that simple command, the limo left the airport and began it's journey to Einzbern Castle, which is where Ilya and Berserker would reside for the entirety of the 5th War.

Berserker took a glance out the window and gazed at the sights they drove by. She found herself fascinated by the modern age; with towers that dwarfed castles, machines that could move faster than any horse, and weapons that out-ranged any bow are among the wonders Berserker had witnessed in her two months as a Servant so far.

She turned away from the window to face her Master beside her, only to find that the young girl was gawking through the window as well. The blonde smiled at this; after having spent of most of her life in the mansion back at Siberia, Ilya had never seen the outside world. _"I guess this is a new experience for both of us."_ she thought as she smiled fondly at Ilya.

"Excuse me, Master-" Berserker was about to ask, only to get cut off by the girl.

"I thought I already told you to call me 'Ilya'!" she pouted, her cheeks puffing up as a result.

"I am sorry...Ilya." Berserker chuckled, reminded that she should not be so formal around her Master "What is our plan for today?"

"First, we gotta register for the 5th War itself!" The young girl declared cheerfully "Which means as soon as we're done dropping our stuff at the house, we're headed for Kotomine Church!"

* * *

**9:30 pm, Kotomine Church.**

After a short dinner (Where Mordred consumed enough food to feed an army), Ilya asked to be driven to Kotomine Church, an errand taken up by Morimoto personally. So it was at this night that Ilya and Berserker were driven to a simple looking church on a hill where the Supervisor of the Grail War, Kirei Kotomine, resides.

"Call me when you need to be picked up,_ ojou-sama._" The elderly butler said as he dropped the two off by the gates.

"Are you not going to stay?" Ilya asked the butler as she Berserker helped her off the car.

"I have errands I must attend to, I'm afraid. Besides," He looked up to take a good look at the place. For a split second, Berserker could have sworn that he saw a glimmer of hatred and anger in those hawk-like eyes as he looked at the church "I never really liked churches, to be honest."

He gave a stiff bow towards the two before driving back into the mansion.

"I wonder what was that all about?" Ilya asked her Servant, who just shrugged in response.

They walked towards the somber church and opened it's door, the pale moonlight serving as the only source of light that illuminated the rather quiet church.

"Hello?" Ilya called out to the open air. "Is Father Kotomine here?"

Berserker, at the mean time, was tense. She took stock of her surroundings often, as her experience as a Knight of the Round had her deal with sneak attacks every so often. Her body and mind were in a battle-ready state; as such, she was ready to call upon her armor and sword at any given time should a threat to her Master appear.

"Well, this certainly is a surprise." Both of them jumped in shock when they heard the deep baritone belonging to a smirking Father Kirei Kotomine. "It is not everyday that this humble church gets a visit from a member of the Einzbern clan."

"D-don't surprise me like that!" Ilya breathed heavily, recovering from being shocked by the priest. She momentarily composed herself before facing Father Kotomine "I come as a Master and participant in the 5th War of the Holy Grail." As proof, her entire body glowed ominously, revealing the Command Spells that were etched into every corner of her tiny frame.

"Of course you are. You would not be here at this time of night otherwise" Kirei smiled enigmatically at the the pale-skinned homunculus, then to the blonde girl accompanying her "And I suppose she is your Servant?"

"Yup!" Ilya declared confidently as clung to the red-clad blonde's arm. "Berserker and I are going to destroy the competition! You'll see!"

While Berserker appreciated her Master's enthusiasm, she hoped that Ilya didn't honestly think of underestimating the other Servants. After all, each of them were legendary heroes in their own right, accomplishing great feats no mortal man could hope to achieve. The one she sought would be no exception.

"_Father."_ She thought while clenching her fist tightly _"Why haven't you appeared yet?"_

As for Kotomine, Berserker could not help but feel uneasy around him. He seemed like a normal decent priest, but for some reason, he gave off an aura that caused Mordred to keep on her toes. It did not help when she gazed at those gray eyes only to find them unreadable. Add all that to his unreadable stoic expression that was constantly plastered on his face, the red-clad petite blonde had every right to be wary of Kirei Kotomine, finding herself unable to trust a man she couldn't read.

"_Takes one to know one."_ She thought mirthlessly, having concealed her own identity from the rest of Camelot in the past.

"I admire your confidence, my child." Kotomine turned to smile at Ilya, his dull gray eyes meeting her red ones "But surely, you didn't visit the supervisor of the War just to declare your presence? After all, a Master would only visit this location if they seek sanctuary after losing his or her Servant."

"Fine, I'll get to the point." Ilya huffed, then turned to the priest with a look of determination in her crimson red orbs "Has the Servant Saber been summoned yet?"

Kirei's eyes widened in mild surprise at her inquiry. He then took a glance at Berserker, and noted at how much she resembled a certain King of Knights who had been the Servant of Kiritsugu Emiya, his arch-nemesis. He then looked to Ilya and saw how similar she looked to her mother. It all made sense to him now. He inwardly grinned as he answered her question.

"I'm afraid not, young child." He said to her in his usual cryptic tone. "In fact, it seems that every Servant has been summoned save for Saber. Rest assured child, you will know once the last Servant reveals his or herself." he paused to put a hand on his chin "Though I am intrigued, why did you wish to know?"

"It's none of your concern." Ilya replied curtly.

"Of course, of course." Kirei chuckled "I apologize, Miss Einzbern. I did not mean to pry."

"Oh no, it's fine." Ilya shrugged him off politely "Well, since I got what I needed to know, I should get going."

"Very well." Kotomine nodded as the little girl, followed by her Servant, made their way out of the church doors "I wish you luck in the War, Lady Einzbern."

With a dignified curtsey from Ilya and a stiff bow from Berserker, the pair exited the church through the oaken doors.

Once he was sure they were out of earshot, Kirei smirked and shook his head. "I should have known you were watching, King of Heroes."

In a flash of golden light, a new figure materialized out of nowhere. He had a thin but muscular frame. He was clad in a black jacket he wore over a white long sleeved polo, black form-fitting pants and shoes. His most striking features were his short unkempt golden blond hair and eyes as red as rubies.

"I could not help it, Kirei. The Berserker of this new War interests me." The newcomer said in arrogant, kingly tone.

"It seems she has caught your fancy." The priest chuckled "The resemblance she bears to your beloved King of Knights is uncanny, to say the least."

"Alas, she is but a pale imitation to the woman I desire most." The blonde sighed "While she may be a beauty in her own right, she cannot compare to my dear Saber, who I am sure will appear in this War as well."

"Which makes this all the more interesting." Kirei mused, placing a hand on his chin in thought "I have no doubt in my mind that this Berserker was a Knight of the Round in her lifetime, much like the last one. The fact that she resembles Saber could quite possibly mean that this woman could very well be Mordred."

"You mean this doll was her 'son'?" The blonde questioned, having spent a good amount of his free time researching Arthurian history whenever he had the chance. "The one who slain her at the Battle of Camlann?"

"Yes, Gilgamesh. That very one."

"I see." The King of Heroes' eyes narrowed at the thought "So I suppose she seeks to finish what she started the moment she learns that Saber has been summoned?"

"That is likely, as long as her Master gives her free reign to do what she wants." Kirei said thoughtfully "My guess would be that she would care less about the Grail once she meets her 'father' in battle. Or perhaps she has a wish in the Grail concerning her. Who could really say?"

"Pshh." Gilgamesh scoffed "That imitation will not have that chance, neither with the Grail nor Saber! The moment she seeks to defile my treasures will be the moment she meets her end by my hand!"

"I assure you, you will get your chance, King of Heroes." Kirei reassured his 'friend' "For now, patience. While she may have killed Saber in life, this Berserker fell to her before her own end. You of all people should know that Servant Saber is much stronger than she appears."

Gilgamesh paused to consider it for a moment, then finally snorted. "Fine, I shall stay my hand against this...faker for now." The King of Heroes turned to leave "But remember, Kirei: The moment she scars my beloved Saber is the moment she shall feel the full brunt of my wrath." With that last ominous warning, he vanished in a flash of light just as quickly as he came.

As soon as Gilgamesh had left, Father Kotomine shook his head.

"You really are quite a handful, o King of Heroes. Quite a handful indeed..."

* * *

At the same time Father Kotomine and Gilgamesh conversed, Ilya and Berserker had their own discussion while waiting for Morimoto to pick them up.

"I do not trust that man." Berserker stated simply "He seems too shifty for my liking."

"Huh? What do you mean?" inquired her Master, who was by all accounts quite naive at times.

"There's something off about him. I can't explain it, but to put it simply, I'd rather not approach Kirei Kotomine unless I have to."

Ilya nodded as she listened to her Servant. Now that she put it that way, Kirei Kotomine seemed a bit shady for her liking. Still, he was the supervisor of the Grail War, so he was supposed to remain neutral at all times.

"We'll deal with him later if we have to." The young homunculus said to her Servant "We can leave him alone for the mean time, so behave yourself around him, okay?"

While Berserker still had her misgivings, she had no choice but to trust in her Master for now. With that in mind, she nodded in agreement, which seemed to please the young homunculus for the time being.

"Hey, Berserker?" The young Einzbern asked

"Yes, milady?"

"Do you believe we can win the war?" This question caused Mordred to turn to the petite Ilya, who had a subdued look on her face.

"Why are you asking this now, Master?" The Servant asked the girl with a worried expression on her face.

"It's just that..." Ilya paused slightly before continuing "I know I act all confident and so sure of myself, but I'm still scared. We're fighting heroes just as great as you are and the one I want to fight, the one who took my Papa from me, will have the Servant who killed you while you were still alive. So I can't help but feel a little worried."

The usually serious knight's face softened considerably; She realized that she was witnessing her Master's more vulnerable side, the side that was at heart just a little girl scared by all these strange yet amazing events happening around her. A girl who was forced to take a huge burden upon herself by becoming the Master who represents her family in a war which she probably will never return alive from. And for what? Some magic cup that grants the heart's desire?

"_It's amazing how much alike my Master and I are." _the Servant smiled softly, reminiscing her own experiences with her mother Morgan Le Fay and how she had groomed her to one day take the throne of Camelot from the king.

"Listen to me, Ilya." Berserker said after she had time to collect her thoughts "The two months we've trained together were probably the harshest time you've experienced. It also showed me the kind of person you are; A young girl you may be, but you are much stronger than you believe. You are a proficient magus, and a competent master. So believe me when I say this; for as long as I am your sword, we WILL win this war. I will make sure of it."

"You really mean that?" Ilya asked her Servant, her eyes becoming slightly watery due to the overwhelming emotions that were stirring within her.

"Yes I do, milady." She said with a confident and determined grin while pumping her hand in the air "You'll see. We'll prove to them that we are not to be trifled with!"

"Right!" Ilya sniffed as she wiped the tears away. She was genuinely happy that she got this confident, determined knight as her Servant. "We'll show them! We'll show them all that they shouldn't mess with us!" She declared jovially as she pumped her tiny fist to the air as well while the Servant nodded in agreement.

"For we are unstoppable!" Berserker declared confidently.

"We are unbeatable!" Ilya joined in her cheering, the Servant's excitement proving to be contagious.

It was in such fashion that the two spent the remaining time waiting for their pick-up cheering enthusiastically, raising their voices and declaring to the Heavens that though Fate had dealt these two partners a bad hand, they will overcome whatever comes their way together.

* * *

_**Two nights later...**_

"Servant Saber has arrived as summoned. I ask of you, are you my Master?"

For the life of him, Shirou Emiya could not believe what he was seeing in front of him. Out of nowhere comes this petite blonde with eyes as green as the grassy fields of Avalon, clad in what looks like a blue and white battle-dress with the chest, forearms and forelegs covered in intricately designed steel armor. With an invisible weapon in hand, she went forth to face a man in a blue skin-tight bodysuit wielding a red lance. All while a brunette clad in a red sweater who kept her long hair in pigtail was rushing to scene alongside a white-haired, olive-skinned man whose red coat fit his muscular frame.

Unbeknownst to all parties involved, a lean old butler by the name of Morimoto was watching the entire scene on a suburban rooftop with a pair of binoculars. Once he was sure of his information, he pulled his cellphone out of his pocket to make a call.

"Hello? Berserker-sama?" The old man reported in "Kindly tell _ojou-sama_ that the Servant Saber has finally been summoned."

**End Chapter 2**

* * *

_**A/N: Ladies and Gentlemen, that's another chapter for the books!This is kingofbeasts once again with some things that will be addressed.**_

_**First order of business: Thank you for you reviews, dear readers! I did not expect to get so many reviews on the first chapter. I am indeed quite humbled to see people have an interest in this particular fic. I intend to finish this to the end, so keep your toes peeled for new chapters!**_

_**Speaking of your reviews, we have a special guest who will respond to some of them today. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Berserker of Clarent Blood Arthur, Sir Mordred herself!**_

_**Mordred: Thank you for inviting me here today. Now, on to the reviews.**_

_** Piterio – The author thanks you for being the first to review. As for what will become of my father and her Master, you will just have to wait and see.**_

_** Toramaru and RealmOfEmptiness – I certainly give you much respect for pointing out the parallels between my Master and I. Rest assured that KingofBeasts has every intention to stick with this to the end.**_

_** weirdkid and Windraider – While it is certainly true that I dealt the wound that would kill my father, remember that she killed me first. Thus, she is just as Anti-me as much as I am Anti-her. Meaning at her full power, it could go either way.**_

_** anon – ABSOLUTELY NOT! To do so will be an utter betrayal of my Master's trust, so to your query I say nay! NAY!**_

_** Azuregrimoire – I have to say...You certainly lit a fire under author's rear in a good way. He appreciates your feedback and hopes to use what you told him to improve his craft in the future.**_

**_Oh, by the way, please leave a review. The author would REALLY appreciate it if you did._**

_**And since KingofBeasts also gave me this assignment, I suppose I should end with the next chapter's prompt, which I am looking forward to, by the way. Now, without further ado...**_

_**Next time on Clarent Blood Arthur: Showdown at Kotomine Church!**_

* * *

_**As promised, here's Mordred's stat sheet:**_

_Servant Stats._

_Servant Class: Berserker_

_Identity: Mordred_

_Master: Ilyasviel von Einzbern_

_Alignment: Lawful Evil_

_Strength: B+ (A-)*_

_Agility: B (B+)*_

_Mana: A+ (Being plugged to the walking mana battery that is Ilyasviel von Einzbern has it's perks)_

_Luck: A (She and Ilya have so much in common, it's scary...)_

_Endurance: A (A+)*_

_*Under Madness Enhancement_

**__****Class Skills**_:_

_Madness Enhancement: E (She does not go completely mad and she can activate it at will. As if already battle-hungry persona needed a boost...)_

**__****Personal Skills**_:_

_Instinct: B _

_Prana Burst: B (Not as potent as Saber's, but it's enough.)_

_Magic Resistance: B (Her father was already innately immune to magic. Why can't she be?)_

**__****Noble Phantasm(/s)**_:_

_Clarent Blood Arthur: Rebellion Against My Beautiful Father: Anti-Fortress = Rank A+ (Can't do nothing against Ea, but will match Excalibur pretty well. Though using it reveals her identity)_

_Secret of Pedigree: B (Hides her identity, personal skills, and her main Noble Phantasm from opponents.)_

_*Credits to Type-Moon Wiki and TvTropes for the info_


	3. Chapter 3: Showdown at Kotomine Church!

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor anything of the Fate series. The only thing I do own is the concept of the story and my OC Morimoto._

KingofBeasts Productions Present:

_**Clarent Blood Arthur: A Fate/Stay Night Fanfiction**_

**Chapter 3: Showdown at Kotomine Church!**

_**Midnight, The Eve of the Holy Grail War**_

To put it mildly, Shirou Emiya had no idea what he had just gotten himself into.

One night ago, he encountered a strange little girl one night on his way home from work one night. Her skin was as white as the winter snow, her eyes as rubies and hair that shimmered in the faint street light like liquid silver. On her face was a vague smile, the kind you that didn't give a clear indication of a person's intentions. As her small frame slowly walked past him, she whispered words in a cheery, singsong voice that gave one an uncomfortable chill down his or her spine.

"Summon quickly or you'll end up dying, Onii-chan."

In shock he turned to the mysterious girl, only to find that she disappeared into thin air. The red-head came home that evening and, after dinner, went to bed with heavy thoughts in his head.

Little did he know that this was only the beginning.

* * *

We fast forward from then to now.

Since that time, Shirou had been dead after getting stabbed through the heart by a strange man with a spear for witnessing something he shouldn't have, survived somehow, and got attacked by the same man once he got home. All in all, not a very good night for the red-head.

He tried to use his meager skills as a magus in reinforcement to defend himself, only to get smacked silly for his efforts. The battle eventually saw Shirou get smacked into the shed in the estate grounds He would have died for sure if not for the sudden emergence of a blonde warrior maiden who called herself Saber. She able to drive him away after a short battle, but not before she was wounded inches from her heart.

After a short conversation in which they introduced themselves, Saber immediately rushed out to meet an approaching Servant in battle. He had olive skin, white hair and was clad in black armor and a red coat that hung over his muscular frame and was followed by a brunette in a red sweater, her hair tied in pigtails, who was presumed to be his Master . She closed the gap quickly and raised her sword to strike the Servant known as Archer.

"_Not this time!" _he roared in his head, jumping back before the invisible weapon could find it's mark. Cursing at the fact that she missed, Saber would have continued her attack if she had not been stopped by her Master.

"Saber, that's enough!"

Astonished, the blonde knight turned to see Shirou with a serious look in his eye.

"But Master!" She reasoned "Archer and his Master are standing before us. They are enemies that need to be struck down."

"I don't understand any of what's going on, but I'll listen if you'll let me..." Shirou pleaded with his Servant "So please stop this!"

"What do you mean by 'this'?" Saber looked at her Master questioningly "I cannot obey such vague orders!"

"Women shouldn't be using weapons!" Shirou yelled back, causing his Servant to look at him with a stare that implied that he was mad "Besides, you're injured."

"Well, are you going to sheathe your sword?" The brunette inquired.

"Swords should not be sheathed in the presence of an enemy!" The blonde knight growled, clenching her weapon tightly in her hands like her life depended on it.

"My, my. So the Servant Saber is going to defy her Master?"

The brunette gave a wry smile from behind Archer to the Servant, causing her to hesitate slightly "Archer, stand down for now."

The red-clad Servant nodded and stood aside, allowing the pig-tailed brunette to be in full view as a sign that she was not hostile.

"I-it can't be..." The red head stared agape at the girl, who seemed to be giving him a mysterious smile "Tohsaka..."

"Good evening, Emiya-kun." The girl known as Rin Tohsaka greeted him, her Servant standing at ready just in case Saber turns hostile "I suppose you have the decency to invite a lady to the safety of your home at this time of night?"

Snapping out of his trance and remembering his manners, Shirou immediately ushered Rin and Archer into his home, much to Saber's chagrin.

"You will tell me what's going on, right?" He asked the brunette as they entered his house.

"Of course, Emiya-kun, of course." replied the Tohsaka Magus nonchalantly. Little did the four of the know that they were being watched by an old man in a coat who had picked up his cellphone to report to his superiors.

* * *

_**Meanwhile, at Einzbern Castle...**_

"COME ON! I ALMOST HAVE HIM!"

Ilyasviel von Einzbern was a competent magus and formidable Master, but she was first and foremost a an approximately eighteen year old girl who was physically and emotionally in her early teens, which meant she still enjoyed the things most girls her age would.

Like playing video games in her room.

So it was on this fine evening that Ilya was playing a rousing round of God of War III, where she was maneuvering Kratos against the mighty Heracles, a very human (and by default, inferior) depiction of the Servant she was supposed to summon while clad in cream-white pajamas.

As she leisured herself on her sleek black PS3, her Servant Berserker, who was Sir Mordred of the Round Table in life, stood to the side and watched with a look that was one part interest and another part annoyance. While she did love a good fighting game (after being forced to play one by her Master, anyway), she was restless and wanted to go on patrol to fight the other Servants, a manifestation of her class' battle hungry nature. Her brow twitched with impatience, stir-crazy from doing nothing.

"Ilya!" She finally spoke in an irritated voice "We should be patrolling the streets to fight the other Servants, not sit in front of a television and play video games all day!"

"No!" Ilya's cheeks puffed as he pouted, making Kratos dodge a charge from his opponent with her controller "Until the Servant Saber gets summoned, I'm not moving from this spot!"

Berserker sighed in exasperation; while she did admire her Master's fiery spirit, she did not agree with her inaction. Sure, she watched as Ilya warned Shirou the other night to summon his Servant soon, but that does not warrant an evening where they do nothing.

"Besides," The silver-haired homunculus said as she watched Kratos teeter over the edge while Heracles threatened to throw him off the arena "We have Morimoto acting as our eyes and ears, so we'll know the moment Saber gets summoned."

The Knight of Treachery nodded her head in agreement. She had to admit, sending out the old man as a scout was an ingenious plan. He was neither a Servant nor a Master, so other Servants would not be able to sense his presence. In the event that he does get into trouble...Mordred was not too worried, as she had discovered that he was no ordinary butler.

"When we do find the boy who took Papa from me," The fair-skinned Einzbern's scarlet orbs narrowed as she maneuvered Kratos through a series of quick time events, which led to his opponent being pinned by the arena floor "This is what I'll do to him."

With repeated presses of the circle button, she made Kratos batter his defeated opponent with the Nemean Cestus again and again. Mordred could only watch, slightly unnerved by her Master's brutality, as the steel gauntlet-like weapons collided with the bloodied demigod's skull until his face was completely pulverized. She was horrified by the display of savagery, but only a little. For deep down in her heart, she wished to do the same to her "father", the high-and-mighty King of Knights who refused to acknowledge her for the sake of her ideals.

She shuddered at the thought. No doubt these kinds of thoughts were a manifestation of her class skill.

"That was a bit of a letdown." Ilya sighed after dealing the final blow to her twice-dead opponent "He doesn't have God-Hand. Goes to show you how little humans understand a Heroic Spirit. I did like the Nemean Cestus,though. It was a nice touch and would have made a decent Noble Phantasm."

The tell-tale ringing of her cellphone caused Berserker to snap out of her reverie. As with all Servants, she materialized into this age with an innate understanding of modern technology, so she had little trouble with operating a cellphone and answered it without much problems.

"Yes, Morimoto?" She said as she answered her phone, eager for any updates on the war. She grinned at what she heard, for that meant that it was time to take action. "Very well. Thank you for the information. Don't lose sight of them and keep us informed. Are we clear?"

"Of course, Berserker-sama." The sagely voice of the butler answered from the other end "I wish you well in this war."

As soon as he hung up, she turned to her Master, who was looking at her Servant quizzically.

"Looks like you got your wish, milady." Berserker grinned with a fire twinkling in her eyes "Servant Saber has been summoned. Now the War can officially begin."

That revelation caused Ilya to jolt up as if struck by lightning. She stumbled into her closet to find something suitable to wear. A few minutes later, she came out in her signature purple blouse with a matching frilly white skirt and purple boots, all topped off by her purple hat.

"Let's move out Berserker!" She said, her enthusiasm pumping her up "It's time to show 'em who's boss!"

"That's the spirit, Master!" Her Servant grinned as she shifted into battle mode, materializing her red battle-dress with the intricate steel armor that covered her shoulders, forearms and legs, capped of with her horned helm, her first Noble Phantasm Secret of Pedigree, which concealed her identity, parameters and her trump card, Clarent Blood Arthur.

With mutual nods of agreement exchanged between the two, Master and Servant made their way through the forests and into the city, where the epicenter of the Holy Grail War will be.

* * *

"Can you sense them, Berserker?"

"I can, but it's faint." the Servant replied once they reached the city "I sense at least three Servants within the area, but I cannot tell which is which."

"How troublesome." Ilya sighed as she patrolled the area with her Servant "It'll be hard to tell which one is Saber."

"Then it was a good thing you thought to send Morimoto out as a scout." Berserker put in her two cents, her voice muffled by her helmet "His last report stated that the Servants Archer and Saber are on the move together with their respective Masters. He last saw them enter Kotomine Church, which is considered a sanctuary. He'll inform us once they leave the area."

The silver-haired Einzbern nodded at this, the gears in her mind churning as her brow furrowed in thought. A possible alliance between the two Masters could prove to be a proverbial wrench in her plans; Saber's unparalleled swordplay combined with Archer's long distance attacks will be hard to overcome, even with Berserker's strength.

"_I have to be careful."_ she thought while walking alongside her Servant in the barely-lit streets_ "Berserker can take anyone in one-on-one fights easily with her Saber-like parameters, but facing two Servants at once will be a challenge."_

She was deep in her thoughts when her cellphone rang, snapping her out of her reverie. She fumbled with her phone for a few seconds before handing it over to Berserker, who dematerialized her helmet to answer.

"Report." The red knight said in a voice filled with authority.

"The targets have just left Kotomine Church and are headed for your direction now." Morimoto reported from the other end as he watched the priest usher the Masters out of the church.

"Excellent. Can I count on you to do your part?" Berserker inquired as excitement boiled inside her, causing a bloodthirsty grin to appear on her face.

"Of course, Berserker-sama." a small, confident smile formed on Morimoto's aged features "Yesterday's demonstration should have told you such."

"Good. Stay out of sight until Archer interferes. Leave Saber to me."

"Of course, Berserker-sama. It will be done." With that, the aged butler hung up and the red knight handed the phone back to Ilya.

"Well?" the young Master asked as she received the phone.

"The Masters of Saber and Archer are headed this way." Berserker answered her as she rematerialized Secret of Pedigree.

"I see..." Ilya spoke quietly, looking quite nervous.

"I can sense that you are worried, Master." Berserker said, noting her anxiety "Is it because of the possibility of an alliance between Saber and Archer?"

"Yes." The Einzbern Master nodded "If it were just Saber, we wouldn't have any problems. With two Servants involved, you might not be able to win and get hurt real bad..."

While her helmet hid her face, Berserker's features softened significantly. She could sense that her Master was concerned for the well-being of her Servant.

"Do not worry about me, milady. My parameters are of high quality, so I am confident that I can take on any Servant with ease." The knight reassured her Master "I'm already prepared for the moment Archer interferes. As I said before, as long as I am your sword, we will win this War."

Ilya could only stare agape at her Servant who seemed to have so much faith in her as a Master, her scarlet-tinted eyes wide in astonishment as she stared hard at Berserker until her expression softened and a small smile crept up on her face.

"All right." She looked up at Berserker with admiration on her features "I trust you, Berserker."

"That is the spirit." The red-clad Servant grinned under her helmet. "Now, shall we go meet our destinies?" She asked the pale-skinned girl who was absolutely beaming at her, her fears having fled to parts unknown.

"Yes!" With that one simple word, they set forth to meet up with their counterparts. Their first battle in the Grail War about to commence.

* * *

"Well, I've done my part." Rin Tohsaka shrugged once they got a good distance away from the church.

"Thanks, Tohsaka." Shirou said to her gratefully "You're a good person."

"Eh?" The red-clad brunette asked, confused by the compliment "Sucking up won't make me go easy on you."

"Shirou!" Saber called out warningly, and they both turned to see two new figures approach them. One was the little girl Shirou saw yesterday evening; blood red eyes, silver hair, pale skin and with a petite figure clad in a purple coat, white skirt and boots. The second figure was a knight that was just as tall as Saber. She wore a red battle-dress, her shoulders, forearms and legs all covered in steel armor with intricate designs. She also wore a horned helm which completely covered her face, concealing her identity in the process.

"Good evening, Oniichan." The girl said in an eerily cheerful voice "This is the second time we've met like this."

"This is bad..." Rin said as her eyes widened in shock.

"What's bad?" Shirou asked the female Master.

"Normally, a Master would be able to see an opposing Servants parameters, such as strength, agility and the like. With this one...I can't see anything that we can use. It's as if something's blocking me."

Archer, who had been watching in spirit form, did not like this one bit. Not only did he have no idea who he was up against, he found that he was not facing the mighty Greek hero Heracles as he expected to.

"_This Berserker is a wild card."_ He thought as he watched the entire scene _"This could spell disaster for us since we don't know what this Servant is capable of. Also..."_ He looked at the corner of his eye to see another figure hidden up a tree, away from view. He had the look of an old English gentleman; his graying hair, hawk-like eyes and constantly stoic expression while clad in an expensive black suit with long coat-tails gave him an air of regality._ "I do not recall that man ever being in this event. Then again, the Throne of Heroes did do a number on my memory somewhat, so it's hard to say. Still, I better keep an eye on him. Who knows what he can do?"_

Meanwhile, Ilya smiled upon recognizing the Tohsaka Master. "Good evening, Rin." She addressed her as as she curtsied "My name is Ilya. Ilyasviel von Einzbern. You understand what that means, right?"

"Einzbern..." Rin said quietly, her brow furrowing in distress, while Saber's eyes could only widen in recognition.

"It can't be..." she murmured to herself, her hood hiding her shocked expression well.

"Since you're all about to die anyway, I don't think I need to myself any further right?" Ilya smiled pseudo-sweetly at them. At the same time, Berseker tensed as she clutched her sword tighter in her grasp, her Madness Enhancement slowly taking over.

"Time to kill you now!" Ilya then turned to her Servant, who was simply awaiting her orders "Go get them, Berserker!"

"Yes, Master!" The red knight wasted no time, stomping the ground using her prana as a booster to quickly close the distance between her and Saber, who had barely raised her sword just in time to block, causing a deadlock between the two.

"RRAH!" Berserker roared as she applied heavy pressure on her blade, causing her opponent's knees to buckled ever so slightly. Fortunately for Saber, she was able to push the red knight back, making her skid on her feet before she came to a stop.

"_Just like how I remember her."_ Berserker grinned under her helmet, slowly walking towards the blonde King of Knights as she threw her hood away before charging once again, swinging her sword with multiple powerful strikes that forced the blue knight on the defensive.

Despite the relentless onslaught she faced, Saber's Instinct and keen swordplay had been enough to keep her in the game, countering Berserker's heavy swings and raw power with her own swift, precise blows with her concealed weapon. For a while, neither seemed to give away any opening as the two knights dueled skillfully.

"_She is skilled." _though Saber as she clenched her initial Noble Phantasm, Invisible Air, in hand as she tried a different tactic. She used the momentum of Berserker's blows against her as she left her opponent's sword slide along her own. The force used for the swing, plus the fact the she redirected said blow elsewhere, gave Saber a much needed opening. She spun around Berserker and swung Invisible Air down her opponent's unguarded back.

If it hadn't been for the armor, Berserker would have gotten a deep wound that would have become a major hindrance later on. Smirking under her helmet, she swung her sword with her left hand in a wide horizontal arc, forcing the blue knight to jump back lest her head would be walloped off.

"Not bad, Saber..." a bloodthirsty grin crept in under Berserker's helmet as she charged in again with both hands raising her sword over her head "Not bad at all!"

"_This is strange..."_ Rin mused while watching the battle, telepathically communicating with her Servant.

"_What is?"_ Archer responded, having heard his Master's thoughts.

"_From what I've heard, Servants of the Berserker class tend to rush in with reckless abandon." _The brunette began to explain while Shirou watched agape _"Due to the Madness Enhancement skill, they tend to have a Devil-may-care fighting style, the raw power boost more than making up for the loss of sanity."_

"_And your point is?" _Even though Archer was in spirit form, Rin could tell that he was raising his eyebrow quizzically at her.

"_My point is that this Berserker is different, dummy."_ She answered him while rolling her eyes. _"While her strikes do seem powerful, this one seems to be capable of thinking on her toes and fight with some measure of skill and grace. If anything, this one fights as if it was a Saber."_

"_I see..." _the tan-skinned Servant nodded thoughtfully _"The fact that you cannot read any of her parameters makes it even more bothersome."_

"_Great, another unknown Servant. Just like you!" _the Tohsaka Magus grumbled in her head.

"_Remember what I told you before, I'm the best Servant around."_ Archer reassured her. _"Just give me the signal, and I'll take her out personally."_

"_Got it." _Rin nodded, her eyes narrowing as she watched the duel with Shirou.

"_I should warn you. We seem to have a spectator in our midst, and he doesn't seem like a normal human." _The white-haired Servant warned her.

"_Ignore him for now. He must be crazy if he thinks he can take on a Servant. We can deal with him after we're done with Berserker"_

"_Point taken." _Archer nodded while he watched the duel with interest, seeking to observe this new Berserker in action and evaluate whether or not she could become a threat.

The duel raged on while Archer and Rin were discussing; neither of them held an advantage over the other as Berserker and Saber clashed with each other. The King of Knights was able to push her opponent back a few steps for some breathing space, only to find Ilyasviel right behind her.

Her eyes widened in shock at how much this girl resembled her dear friend Irisviel, who had died in the previous War.

"Do not turn your back to your opponent, Saber!" Berserker roared as she used Prana Burst to reinforce her sword for one mighty swing. The blue knight was able to raise Invisible Air in time, but the force of the blow was so great that she was sent flying to the nearby cemetery.

"SABER!" Shirou, completely worried about his Servant, ran to where she crashed. Rin, at the meantime, saw this as the perfect opening.

"Now, Archer!"

The Servant materialized behind her Master and summoned a bow out of thin air. He did the same with a sword which, for some reason, he transformed into an arrow and began charging.

"Berserker, look out!" Ilya yelled in worry, causing her Servant to look where Archer materialized, charging his arrow while reciting some incantation.

"_I am-_"

He was not given the chance to finish when he saw what looked like knives fly at him at the corner of his eye. He instinctively grabbed Rin and jumped out of the way before the bladed projectiles could hit their mark.

"Where did those come from?!" Rin asked her Servant, who simply looked at the blur that jumped out of the tree and landed between them and Berserker.

"Ah, it seems that it was a good idea that I came along. Wouldn't you say, Berserker-sama?" the old gentleman spoke in a polite tone, causing the Servant to smirk under her helmet.

"Indeed it was, Morimoto." The Servant replied back, all while Ilya stared at the butler in awe.

"I had a feeling you were going stir up some trouble." Archer smirked towards the butler, who simply sighed in displeasure.

"So I was spotted then?" He said as he walked towards the enemy Servant "I suppose that is to be expected from a Servant of the Archer class." he gave a stiff bow " My name is Daigoro Morimoto, humble servant of the Einzbern household. _Ojou-sama_ is busy at the moment, but I will be more than welcome to entertain you while she attends to important matters, Archer-san and Tohsaka-san."

"I shall leave this to you, Morimoto!" Berserker said before charging her legs with prana, using it give her a powerful burst of speed that propelled her to where Saber crashed.

"Hey! Wait for me, Berserker!" Ilya called as she ran after the Knight of Treachery as fast as her tiny little legs can carry her.

"Archer! Take care of this interloper!" Rin commanded him as she ran to the cemetery as well.

"Of course, Master." Archer sighed before turning back to Morimoto "You must be dreaming if you think you can defeat a Servant by yourself, old timer." He summoned his two Chinese falchions, the black Kanshou and the white Byakuya, and got ready for a fight.

"Oh, I do not intend to. My purpose is to simply keep you busy while Berserker-sama duels Saber." Morimoto summoned six more of the daggers he used, which were actually artifacts of the Church called Black Keys, and crossed his arms while holding three in each hand. Despite being up against a Servant, the old man could not help but smile.

"Then again, we live in strange times..."

* * *

"This is bad..."

Saber grunted as she staggered to her feet, using Invisible Air for support. While it did not prove to be a hindrance earlier, the wound she suffered at the hands of Lancer as well as her lack of a proper connection with Shirou was beginning to take it's toll on her. She did not know how long she can hold on.

"Saber, look out!"

She looked up to see Shirou run towards her from the side, then turned to see a red blur headed directly towards her. She squinted her eyes and recognized immediately who it was.

"SABER!" Berserker roared, using Prana Burst to close the gap and swung her blade downwards with both hands once she got close. Had it not been for rank A Luck, Saber would have been bisected then and there. Luckily, she was able to raise her sword in time to protect herself, though the sheer force of the blow caused her knees to buckle.

What really surprised Saber was that her foe just used Prana Burst, a skill she believed only she had. "_Just who is this knight?" _she thought to herself as she reengaged Berserker once again, though she could barely keep up due to the fatigue she experienced.

Meanwhile, Berserker grinned as she kept up her relentless offense, swing her sword rapidly to keep the King of Knights off balance.

"Why do you hide your weapon, Saber?" She questioned as she continued to apply the pressure "It serves no use as I already know who you are...Arturia Pendragon, or should I say, 'King Arthur'?"

"_Saber is King Arthur?"_ Shirou could not believe his ears, his jaw dropping at the revelation. _"But she's just a girl!"_

Meanwhile, Ilya watched from a safe distance with a smile on her face. She knew how much Berserker wanted to confront her 'father' and spectated contentedly as things began to unravel.

Saber's eyes grew as wide as the moon upon hearing her name, pushing Berserker back a few steps. Just like that, the fighting ceased...for now.

"_Another one of my knights has become Berserker?" _Saber thought bitterly as she recalled how she was forced to fight Sir Lancelot, the First of the Knights of the Round, back at the 4th Grail War.

"Tell me," She said as she gripped her sword in front of her "Who are you? You are definitely not Lancelot. Perhaps Gawain? Ector? Bedivere?"

"Not even close, 'my king'." Berserker shook her head while laughing mirthlessly "Perhaps it is better that I show you."

Upon a wordless command, Secret of Pedigree began to dissipate into particles of prana, revealing the girl under the helm.

Arturia's eyes widened and her skin paled as if she saw a ghost. She did not want to believe it, but what she saw was undeniable proof of Berserker's identity; Soft honey blonde hair tied into a combination of a braid and a ponytail, skin as fair as her own, and normally green eyes that were glowing with a crimson glow at the moment. She did not want to believe it; No, she refused to believe it, but Saber could not deny who was standing there before her.

"No..." She said quietly, her voice wavering "It can't be."

Mordred turned to Arturia with a feral grin that bared her teeth "It's been a while, 'father'."

**End Chapter 3**

* * *

_**A/N: Hello again, readers! Thank you for reading the latest chapter of Clarent Blood Arthur! It took me quite a while to finish this one, but I hope you guys enjoyed reading this new installment!**_

_**First things first: Looks like the cat's out of the bag! As predicted, the fact that another one of her knights became Berserker did not sit well with Saber at all, hence the Heroic BSOD she experiences at the chapter's end. What will happen next now that Morded's identity has been revealed, not even I can say. I just know that it will be so much fun to write!**_

_**Another thing to address would be Morimoto. Well, more like Morimoto vs Archer. Will their upcoming fight be GAR-worthy? We'll just have to wait and see!**_

_**Anyways, that will be all for now, as I really don't have much else to say at this point other than please leave a review if you have something to say about the newest chapter. Now, Ilya if you please...**_

_**Ilya: Hai! Next time on Clarent Blood Arthur: Blood and Water!**_


	4. Chapter 4: Blood and Water

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor anything of the Fate series. The only thing I do own is the concept of the story and my OC Morimoto...and his Mystic Code._

KingofBeasts Productions Present:

_**Clarent Blood Arthur: A Fate/Stay Night Fanfiction**_

**Chapter 4: Blood and Water**

Tonight was not going to be an ordinary night.

Well, that is to be expected when this particular night would witness the first few of many battles in the Holy Grail War, a ritual where seven Magi summon their respective Servants to kill each other to power an omnipotent wish-granting device that could fulfill their heart's desire. Even now, they battle to realize their deepest desires, even willing to kill other Magi be they friend, family or lover. They did not really care, not as long as they have their wish granted.

Well, most of them anyway. Some of the participants, like one Shirou Emiya, has taken it upon themselves to stop people with evil wishes to use the Grail, not having one for his own.

So it was on this evening that two battles were taking place. The first one was in the streets near Kotomine Church, while the other at the graveyard.

Now, come dear readers. Come as we watch these two battles for supremacy take place before us.

* * *

In the suburbs near Kotomine Church.

_"I have to give the old man his props."_ Archer thought as he shifted to the right, narrowly dodging a Black Key aimed for his head _"He knows what he's doing."_

Daigoro Morimoto, butler to the Einzbern household and the old man in question, had been putting up quite a fight; Granted, the best Black Keys could do to a Servant would to scratch him a little. Yet, Archer was kept on his toes constantly, as the knives of the Church were flying at him from odd angles.

Two more knives flew his way from the right, causing Archer to parry with Kanshou and Byakuya, his twin falchions. As soon as he parried the second knife, Morimoto dived in and attempted to slash his opponent's face with a fistful of knives.

"Damn it!" Archer shifted his head just enough for the Black Keys pass right by him. He swiftly responded by swinging Kanshou and Byakuya in a wide horizontal arc, hoping that either blade would catch the butler in the midsection unawares.

Morimoto managed to block with his Black Keys in time, though they shattered upon impact with the Servant's blades. That did not seem to bother him in the slightest, as he procured more of his conceptual weapons from his sleeves, slashing at his opponent with amazing velocity.

"I have to admit, I'm impressed." Morimoto said as one fistful of Black Keys (which are three for each hand) shattered into dust upon contact with Archer's blades, forcing him to draw upon another set before resuming his attack "For an Archer class Servant, you seem to be adept in melee situations."

"Let's just say I'm full of surprises!" Archer grinned as he swatted the Keys aside and kicked the old man in the gut, sending him skidding with his feet on the pavement before he came to a stop.

Archer traced his bow, loading it with normal arrows in favor of his Broken Phantasms to prioritize quick, precise shots over ones with explosive power. Morimoto saw the projectiles coming and put up an admirable effort in trying to dodge them; using his own natural speed to dive out of the of some, while using his Black Keys with accurate, well-placed throws to parry others. Alas, he still suffered some damage as some slipped through his defenses; his left arm, right cheek and right shoulder have been grazed, his sleek black suit now having tears stained with his blood in those areas.

"Such a shame." he said when they seemed to have stopped for a break "This was an expensive suit as well..."

"I already told you." Archer grunted as he held Kanshou and Byakuya in front of him, watching his opponent's every move "A human cannot hope to beat a Servant."

"That may be the case," Morimoto straightened his coat "But it does not hurt to try!"

The old man reached into his coat pocket with his left hand and pulled out an object that looked like a bible. He opened it and began scanning the pages, as if looking for something.

_"Just what is he planning?"_ Archer asked himself as he watched the old man find the page he was looking for.

"Ah, there it is." Morimoto chuckled before closing his eyes in deep concentration. Just then, a white aura began to emanate from the man as he began to recite an aria.

**_"Our Father, Who Art in Heaven."_**

Just then, an object that looked like the hilt of a rapier appeared out of the book. Using his right hand, he reached into the bible and grabbed the handle, pulling out a splendid rapier; it's pommel radiated like the most polished silver, blue tassel attached to it; the handle tied with a deep blue ribbon; it's blade, as white as snow, had the words_ "Pater Noster"_, latin for the words "Our Father"

"I believe this is the first time you've seen something like this." Morimoto chuckled "This is my Mystic Code: The Lord's Prayer. I had this made for me while I was an Executor for the Church. Made from a liter of my blood, a vampire's fang, and a lock of hair from a renowned Servant that served the Lord faithfully in life. It was crafted to cut through the prana particles found in spiritual beings as well as demonic entities." Morimoto smirked as he held the rapier at ready "In short, it is designed to harm Servants as well as Dead Apostles."

_"The old fool. He just gave me a decent weapon to trace."_ Archer smirked as he watched the old man. "Not bad at all, butler. I recall that there were two maids working for Ilyasviel von Einzbern. I certainly don't remember you."

"Do you mean Miss Sella and Miss Leysritt?" Morimoto raised a brow at the Servant, his eyes narrowing as he studied the man before him. "I see...I do not know how you got that information. Neither do I care. Regardless," He darted towards Archer, his legs propelling him with the force of a bullet "You will taste my steel!_ En guarde_!"

Archer was surprised by Morimoto's sudden burst of speed. The butler seemed more adept with the rapier than he was with knives, moving with all the speed and grace of a master fighter.

_"You'd think you were facing a Servant fighting this guy!"_ the red-clad Counter Guardian grunted as he raised his falchion to defend himself from an accurate thrust. "_Just who is he?!"_

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the Graveyard...**

"It...it can't be." The Servant Saber, known in life was the legendary King Arthur, felt her hands tremble as she held her invisible weapon at ready. The blue clad King of Knights stood before her challenger, a woman with features similar to herself; honey blonde hair, emerald green eyes, soft features and a regal aura the befits royalty. However, this woman who stands before her, known as the Servant Berserker, was clad in a red battle dress as opposed to Saber's blue. The biggest difference was that while Saber wore an expression of shock and dread, hers was one of maddening glee.

"What's wrong?" The girl in red grinned maliciously at her opponent "Do you not recognize your own 'son'?"

"Son?!" Shirou thought incredulously as he watched the entire scene before him, unsure what to make of this.

"Mordred..." Saber spoke in a quiet, disillusioned voice "Is it really-"

"Her?" Berserker's Master, Ilyasviel von Einzbern entered the fray with a confident smirk that bordered on cockiness "The Knight of Treachery, Sir Mordred of the Round? The one that killed Saber in life? Yes, that is my Servant's identity."

_"Tsk, to think I have been cursed by Fate yet again..."_ Saber grimaced as she held her sword at ready. She felt her hands tremble, but she could not falter. Especially not now. The opponent who stood before her is yet another life cursed by her reign, another life destroyed by her actions as king.

Another reason she must attain the Grail at all costs.

"Shall I kill them now, Master?" Berserker had asked Ilya, though the devilish grins they shared said it all.

"Get it done, Berserker!" The little girl urged her "Kill them!"

"At once!" The red-clad knight wasted no time in engaging her former king, her sword seeking her blood as she attacked her with wild, yet precise arcs that embodied her rage.

Saber met Berserker blow for blow, both swords clashing as sparks literally flew in the air.

At a glance, it looked as if Saber and Berserker were matching each other perfectly, neither giving ground to the other. However, hindered by Shirou's incapability to provide a sufficient amount of mana, her botched summoning that gave her sub-par parameters, and hindered by the wound she received from Lancer earlier in the night, Saber was at a tremendous disadvantage.

Still, she did not falter. She would not give up now. Saber knew that if she did, all those battles she had fought, especially during the 4th War, would have been for nothing.

"What made you become Berserker, Mordred?" Saber grunted as she parried an thrust aimed for her skull, knocking Berserker's weapon aside "Is it because you were driven mad by your ambition? Brought to insanity when you couldn't take the throne for yourself?" She took advantage of the opening and aimed at her opponent's seemingly vulnerable waist, only for Berserker to grab the blade with her left hand, her gauntlet protecting her from it's edge. The only appropriate action Saber could think of was to aim a well placed kick to her gut to knock her back, creating some space betweent them.

Berserker grunted as she placed a hand on the area Saber kicked, but instead of grimacing in pain, she was grinning maliciously. It was if she was using the pain inflicted on her to fuel her actions.

"Heh, it just shows how little you understand!" The red knight was about to begin her offensive anew when she saw what looked like black bullets fly straight for her. She smirked as she took the obsidian bullets, shrugging them off as they did little to affect her.

"Stay back, Emiya-kun!" Rin grunted as she stood in front of the boy as if shielding him, letting loose as much Gandr curses as she could in hopes of slowing the Servant down. To her surprise, it did not affect her in the slightest.

"Magic Immunity on a Berserker?!" The Tohsaka Magus cried out in disbelief, in shock that her spells had no effect.

"Considering who my 'father' is, this should not surprise you in the slightest." Berserker grinned maliciously "Now if you'll excuse me,"

She turned back to Saber, who was held her weapon in grim determination.

"I have a score to settle, and quite frankly, it is long overdue."

* * *

"My, it seems they're really going at it, aren't they?"

Unknown to all parties involved, even to the ever watchful Morimoto, three observers have come to watch the proceedings as it were.

"Indeed," One observer said to the other, their features obscured by the darkness of the night, the lights barely revealing their features as they spectated through a lonely rooftop of a house situated near the church. "The king doesn't seems as strong as she should be, doesn't she?"

"I am afraid not." The other man, who's blonde hair was the only thing one could make out with the faint streetlight. "It seems that the boy who had summoned her did not complete the ritual. As a result, other than her usual pride, she's not as capable as the king we know and love."

"Regardless," The other man, who had long black hair and was garbed in a suit that matched his hair "This war will prove interesting. Though, from what I heard, the last war was just as exciting." He then turned to the third figure, a petite female who's only feature that wasn't shrouded in darkness was the long blonde hair tied in a braid and two deep, purple orbs that peered into your soul. "What say you, Master?"

"We wait and observe, for now." The female said in a melodic, but firm voice that exhibited authority "The Grail has not manifested itself yet, therfore it is still too early to act. Furthermore," She glanced at where Morimoto and Archer were dueling, the butler holding his own defensively against the Servant.

"It would be fair entertainment to see how this all turns out."

* * *

The Counter Guardian Emiya had to hand it to the old man; he was making him work hard on the first night of the war.

He felt a stinging sensation on his cheek as he was barely able to dodge Morimoto's rapier, his cheek grazed by the Mystic Code. The Servant responded in kind by swatting away the rapier with Kanshou, the other hand swinging Byakuya at his opponent's neck.

Morimoto was able to shift his neck slightly to the right, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow, but a small cut was left in his neck as a result.

"My, my. You really are quite something, Archer-san." The old man huffed his displeasure as he stomped the ground and created some distance. He ran his palm upward his rapier's flat edge as he recited what seemed to be another passage in the aria.

**_"Holy be thy Name. Thy Kingdom Come!"_**

A surge of blue light surrounded the blade as he thrust it forward, engulfing it in holy light as it charged towards the Servant Archer.

**_"RHO AHIAS!_**" The red-clad Counter Guardian grunted as he summoned the seven-petaled conceptual weapon of the hero Ajax.

_"Tsk, to be forced to use Rho Ahias this early in the war."_ Archer cursed as the shield held it's ground against the glowing weapon. The attack went on to destroy one of it's petals before seemingly fizzling out.

"Heh, looks like you ran out of gas, old man." Archer grinned as he was about to disperse the conceptual shield and counterattack, but to his surprise, he learned that the butler wasn't done yet.

_**"Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven!"**_

The rapier lit up anew, the surge of white light that sizzled and crackled shattering two more petals in it's wake.

Archer's shocked expression showed his obvious surprise, but he kept a level head and tossed Kanshou in a horizontal arc with the hopes that it would at least force Morimoto back before he broke through the shield.

To Archer's delight, it achieved the desired effect; Morimoto was forced to jump back, lest his head get taken of by the errant falchion. He wasn't able to escape unscathed either, as the ebony curved blade left a light scar on the old man's left cheek.

_"I had almost forgotten how hard it was to fight a Servant..." _The butler thought as beads of sweat appeared on his brow, panting heavily as if he was exhausted.

"I have to admit, you have an amazing weapon there." Archer sighed as Rho Ahias dissapated "Not many things can do that kind of damage to the shield of Ajax."

"So that's what it was." Morimoto smirked in response, holding his rapier close to him "It was a very durable Noble Phantasm."

"Sorry to disappoint you, old geezer, but that's not MY Noble Phantasm." The Counter Guardian smirked as he traced Kanshou and Byakuya once more.

"Is that so? Very well then." Daigoro Morimoto smirked as he raised his rapier once more "I will just have to force it out of you myself."

"Hmph." Archer smirked as he traced Kanshou and Byakuya once more, his body tensing for the inevitable charge "You can try!"

* * *

"Is this all?"

Saber and Berserker continued to engage each other heavily in battle, sparks flying in the air as sword clashed with sword, the two knights fighting for their lives. Unfortunately, though, Saber was nearing her limits. Her diminished parameters and the wound she received from Lancer earlier in the evening were taking it's toll on her greatly. The fact that she was not drawing any prana from Shirou did not help at all.

"Are you really the King of Knights?!" The red-clad blonde sneered as she swatted her opponent's weapon aside, leaving her wide open for a knee to the gut "You're not as strong as I remember!"

As Saber lurched forward in pain as the knee connected, she thought of how correct Berserker was. Due to the incomplete summoning ritual, she was not as strong as she was supposed to be, her parameters sub-par compared to her full capacity.

"Saber!" Shirou called out the his Servant out of concern, and was just about ready to jump in when he felt a hand stop him.

"There's nothing you can do, Emiya-kun!" Rin implored him "There's nothing you can do against a Servant."

"Tohsaka's right, Oniichan." Ilya smirked at them, an evil gleam in her red eyes "My Servant is a powerful warrior and the one who killed your Servant. What can you possibly do against her?"

At that moment, it was clear that Berserker had the upper-hand; She had made several powerful strikes that left gashes on Saber's armor. Each strike caused the blue-clad knight to stagger, the power of each blow dealing copious amounts of damage to the King of Knights.

"_I do not know how long I can keep up..." _Saber thought grimly as she struggled to keep pace with her opponent. Finally, she was too tired to defend properly as Berserker pummeled her with slash after slash, her sword glowing red as she empowered it with prana.

"Pathetic! Pathetic, pathetic, PATHETIC!" Berserker shrieked as she vented her fury in a relentless attack "Is this all your ideals amounted to? Is this all you are truly capable of?!"

The King of Knights held valiantly against the onslaught, but found herself unable to fight back. After many successful hits, Berserker winded up for one final swing that took Saber off her feet, crashing into one of the tombstones in the cemetery.

The red Servant was about to walk away in disgust when she felt movement behind her. She turned to see Saber, still as proud a warrior as ever, supporting herself with her invisible sword as she struggled to get on her feet. Had it been a different time, Sir Mordred would have admired such courage, such valor in the face of certain defeat.

Unfortunately, all the was left to her was hatred and utter loathing.

"Go ahead, Berserker." Ilya smiled sweetly at her Servant, which in this context was quite disturbing "Kill her. You've earned it."

"Gladly." The red knight approached slowly, as if to savor the moment. As she began her advance, her expression changed into a sneer of disdain.

"As disappointing as this outing was, I believe it is time I end this." Berserker raised her sword, stained with the crimson blood of her foe, in anticipation of striking the object of her torment down once and for all.

She would have succeeded, but she did not count on one thing: Shirou Emiya.

"SABER, LOOK OUT!" The boy push his Servant out of the way just as Mordred brought down her sword, hitting him instead and leaving a huge gash on his back.

"Emiya-kun!" Rin called out in dismay, as the boy struggled to keep himself on his feet.

Saber stumbled to the ground from the push. Upon hearing Rin's panicked voice, she looked up and saw her wounded Master trying to stay on his feet. "Shirou!" She yelled frantically as she tried to push herself up, but to no avail. She was completely exhausted at this point.

"Wh-why?" Ilya stammered, unable to believe that the selfish boy who stole her father from her jumped in defense of his Servant like that. She glanced at Berserker, who's widened eyes told the Master that she couldn't believe it either.

"What you have done was a bold, yet idiotic move." Berserker said with blank face as she stepped back "Why did you jump to your Servant's defense without any concern for your safety, boy?"

"It's because she's a girl..." Shirou grunted as he struggled to stay on his feet "And you're both family! You shouldn't be fighting like this!"

_"So he doesn't know?"_Ilya stared at him in disbelief, only to find frustration boiling up inside her.

"Berserker, we're leaving!" The pale-skinned homunculus huffed as she began walking away. "Let's kill them another time."

Sir Mordred turned to her Master in utter disbelief. Here was her opponent, completely helpless before her (and her Master injured to boot). Before them was a chance to stomp them underneath their collective heels, and the young girl was throwing their chance away.

...And yet, despite her misgivings, she trusted Ilya. The fact that each knew the other's pain cemented that. Besides, part of her wishes to face King Arthur in her prime. With that, she dissipated her sword Clarent and uttered but a single sentence that signified her obedience.

"Yes, Ilya."

Before she turned to leave, the red-clad knight addressed both Shirou and Saber with a sinister sneer "You better find yourself a better Master the next time we meet, Saber. For I will not hesitate to strike you down in the next battle." With that final warning, Berserker walked in pursuit of her Master as she exited the cemetery.

At soon as they had left, Shirou fell to the ground with a thud and passing out. Just as his consciousness slipped, he could hear both Rin and Saber calling out his name worriedly.

* * *

"Ah, it seems that _ojou-sama_ has chosen to retire for the evening.

Morimoto sighed as he put the Lord's Prayer back into the book that seals it. He certainly looked worse for wear; his black coat was torn to shreds, leaving him in a white polo that revealed his slender yet muscular frame for his age. A few gashes showed on his arms and legs, but he was fine otherwise.

"Looks like we're done for the night." Archer sighed as he relaxed his stance, having a few minor gashes as well, but it was nothing a Servant can't handle.

"Indeed. I must now go on ahead. I must tell Miss Sella and Miss Leysritt to prepare _ojou-sama's_ bath. I am sure she could use one after tonight." He chuckled as he turned his back to the olive skinned Servant.

"It was indeed enjoyable to have engaged you in battle, Servant Archer. Regrettably, I was not able to draw out your Noble Phantasm. Perhaps another time." With that, he leaped away and made his way to Einzbern Castle in a brisk pace.

"I have to admit, that old guy surprised me." Archer thought aloud "The fact that I don't remember him at all doesn't help one bit. Regardless, my mission doesn't change. Not one bit."

With a frustrated sigh, Archer realized that Rin would begin to wonder where he was. "Ugh, I better go before she has a fit." With that, he began making his way to the cemetery.

* * *

"That ends our night, I suppose."

The three mysterious individuals watching had seen all they needed to see.

"Shall we retire to our lodgings now, master?" The black-haired male asked the braided blonde female, who nodded.

"Yes. We must make the necessary preparations to infiltrate Fuyuki City tomorrow." She then turned to the blonde male "Are my papers in order?"

"Yes, milady. You are set to start in Homurahara Gakuen tomorrow morning."

"Excellent. Now we must depart from here."

"Yes, milady." Both males went on ahead, the female's expression softening when she caught sight of Morimoto zipping through the town. As she left that night, she smiled at the one thought she mused over.

_"It was nice seeing you again, Master. It really was."_

**End Chapter 4**

* * *

_**A/N: First of, I'd like to say I'm sorry I took so long! Real life and writer's block have been keeping me away from continuing this lovely little tale!**_

_**Now, I guess you're wondering who these three individuals are, and what relation does the female have with Morimoto? Well, you're going to have to stick with this fic to find out!**_

_**Since it's time to address the reviews, I brought in the OC of this fic and resident bad-ass butler Daigoro Morimoto over to answer the reviews you readers have for me today. Daigoro?**_

_**Morimoto: It would be a pleasure. *Ahem***_

_** Piterio - Thank you for pointing out the existence of Miss Sella and Miss Leysritt and the fact that ojou-sama would have sensed when Saber was summoned. They are both lovely ladies who make an old man's work easier (though Miss Leysritt is quite a handful at times) KOB is quite forgetful at times and lacks attention to detail.**_

_** RealmofEmptiness - Oh dear, I cannot believe Mordred-sama let her play that violent game. I shall reprimand both of them thusly! As for your second query...that is something to be saved for later on in the story**_

_**Windraider - Au contraire! It was no nameless lance but Rhomgomyniad, the lesser known weapon of King Arhtur, that felled Mordred on the hill of Camlann. I daresay that makes her eligible to be summoned as a Lance under the proper circumstances.**_

_**Tireisias - Thank you for pointing that out, sir. As said before, the author tends to overlook things at times.**_

_**13PathsofChaos - Thank you for the praise. KOB has seen your board and I can tell you honestly that him posting this story days after you've made the challenge was purely coincidental. Still, he appreciates the comment.**_

_**Endfall - Yes. Master Emiya can be a complete dunce. A good hearted dunce, but a dunce nonetheless.**_

_**Ascarde and all those who wished to see Arturia vs Mordred- This story is where you find out how each side fares. So relax and enjoy the show!**_

_**Azuregrimoire - Ah, yes. KOB's favorite reviewer. As usual, thank you for pointing out the little mistakes the author makes. He really appreciates it as he can use what he learns to become a better writer.**_

_**Before I announce the next chapter prompt, the author kindly asked me to remind the dear readers to leave a review. As it will help him improve, I suggest you all do so with haste!**_

_**Now without further ado...Next Time on Clarent Blood Arthur: The Aftermath**_


	5. Chapter 5: The Afermath

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor anything of the Fate series. If I did, Mordred would rejoice...I think._

KingofBeasts Productions Present:

_**Clarent Blood Arthur: A Fate/Stay Night Fanfiction**_

**Chapter 5: The Aftermath**

"Welcome home, Ilya-sama."

Sella and Leysritt, clad in their white maid uniforms, awaited as the young Einzbern, with her Servant and butler in tow, arrived at the front door of the manor with a rather disgruntled look on her face. Without even saying a word to acknowledged their presence, Ilyasviel stomped her way towards her room.

"Forgive the young mistress." Daigoro Morimoto, butler to the Einzberns, shook his head in dismay as he stopped to talk to the homunculi maids. "She has had a rough night, and will need some form of relaxation to ease her stress."

"I see..." Sella, the more nurturing and gentle of the two maids, nodded as she assessed the situation "Would the mistress want a warm bath while Leysritt and I prepare a light snack for her?"

"I don't think she'll need the snack. All that will do is make her as fat as you, Sella." Leysritt dead-panned in her usual monotonous fashion.

She did smirk a little when she got the reaction she wanted from her fellow maid: pure, unadulterated indignation.

"Excuse me?!" Sella's red eyes narrowed as she addressed her constantly stoic companion in a voice that indicated that her feathers got ruffled "I'll have you know that I happen to be the perfect picture of physical health!"

"If that is the case, then I worry for your future as a maid." the other homunculi stuck her tongue out while maintaining her deadpan expression. Needless to say, Sella, who's translucent pale skin was as red as a turnip, was ready to jump on her counterpart and throttle her had Morimoto not intervened.

"Now, now. No need to stress yourself out, Sella-san. Leysritt was only teasing." The old man chuckled as he watched Sella calm down slightly, though she still retained her indignation at her fellow maid.

He then noticed the look on Berserker's face as her jagged armor dissipated while she shifted into her civilian wear; a frown etched her fair features and her emerald green eyes were as clouded as a fog. Her movements, while they exuded the same air of dignity he had come to expect of her, were oozing with frustration.

He had seen this before, and knew that feeling all too well. Alas, that is another story.

"Kindly go on without me." The old man told the two homunculi kindly "I shall attend to our disgruntled Berserker-sama."

The two maids nodded in understanding before going off to accomplish their duties, not wanting to be around her whenever she's in one of her "moods".

"You seem to have something on your mind." The old butler began as he addressed the Servant "I find that  
strange, considering your dominant showing over Saber earlier."

"For one, those two maids disturb me." Servant Berserker spoke in an irritated tone of voice.

"Ah, I see." Morimoto nodded sagely. After hearing a rumor that Mordred was a homunculus as well, he  
somewhat understood her misgivings.

"Probably one of many reasons why she and young Ilya work so well together." He mused with a subtle smirk  
he hid from her well.

"That may be true, but that does not seem to be the heart of the issue." He continued as his hawk-like eyes studied her, taking note of even the slightest shifts in movement she made "I can easily tell that, deep down, you did not agree with the young mistress' order. Yet, even without a Command Spell, you followed anyway."

"What of it, butler?" Berserker spat back, her voice dripping in frustration "My misgivings are between me and my Master alone. You would do well to stay out of it!"

"Please understand that, as a servant of the Einzbern Household, it is my responsibility to make sure that ojou-sama is well protected during the course of the war." Morimoto countered in a stoic manner that told Berserker that, even though she was a Servant and many times stronger than him, he was not going to back down "Therefore, it IS my business, since part of keeping ojou-sama safe is making sure you work in tandem with her."

Now, Berserker wished to argue, she really did. However, she could deny that his reasoning was sound and that his logic had a completely understandable basis. Predictably, she was at a loss at what to say.

"Very well." The blonde swordswoman finally relented, a snarl distorting her fair features "You wish for an honest answer? Yes, I am frustrated. Frustrated that my Master held me back at the worst possible moment. Frustrated that she quailed during what could have been our finest hour!"

She took a deep breath, taking a brief pause before continuing to vent out her frustrations.

"In many things, I have trusted my Master's judgement, no matter how dire the consequences were. I do so even now...but my heart is clouded, torn between following my Master and fulfilling my own desires."

As he listened, Morimoto let a small smile creep into his wizened features, his eyes twinkling with mild amusement as he listened to her rant.

_"Now, where have I heard this before?"_ He asked himself mirthfully.

"This is a normal occurrence in these Grail Wars." Morimoto said with a sigh "Your Master has made a choice that you do not necessarily approve of. However, let me tell you that these moments are what either makes or breaks both Master and Servant."

Berserker kept a neutral expression on her face, listening to him intently. "Explain." she urged him.

"So good to see that you're curious, Mordred-sama." Morimoto chuckled as he stood before the girl "Now, as you know, the Grail War is won not by a Master or a Servant's individual ability, but rather by their cohesiveness as a team."

"Yes, yes I have heard all that before." The blonde warrior said with a tinge of frustration as she listened to Morimoto's explanation. "But what does this have to do with me and my Master?"

"I was about to get to that. It seems that there is a reason that patience was not a defining mark in your legend." Morimoto jested, earning him a frown from the red-clad knight. "Consider this; the fact that you and Ilya-sama have so much in common has become your greatest weapon. The way you two emphasize with each other makes for a rather strong bond, which translates into an amazing Luck parameter."

Berserker was about to urge him to get to the point before she paused to consider his words. After giving it some thought, she shrugged as a sign to continue.

"Now, it is inevitable that, no matter how much chemistry a Master and Servant have, they will encounter a circumstance where they differ in opinions. In these cases, I cannot stress enough the importance of trust; Trusting in your Master, as well as trusting in her Servant for Ilya. It is only by believing in each other that you can truly prosper in the Grail War."

Mordred remained silent for a few moments, finding herself unable to speak. In a way, Morimoto had proven himself right; she needed to trust Ilya's decision, despite her misgivings.

_"That does not mean I have to like it."_ Berserker grunted, choosing to keep these thoughts to herself for now.

"I shall give your advice some consideration." she said when she finally found her voice, her green orbs eyeing the old man warily "You are a strange mortal, Daigoro Morimoto."

"How so, Berserker-sama?"

"You suddenly come out of yonder to serve a Magus family, display knowledge in Magecraft, exceptional skill with the sword, wield a Mystic Code, and have an intimate, perhaps too intimate, understanding of the inner workings of the Master-Servant dynamic." The fair-skinned knight gave the butler a triumphant grin "Need I go on?"

"Dear me, you are terribly inquisitive for your Class, Berserker-sama." the old man laughed, admitting defeat in the face of the Servant "Perhaps I underestimated you. Do not worry, I shall reveal as much of myself as I can allow in due time. It would not do to reveal all my secrets"

"Perhaps." Berserker nodded, content with his answer for now "But that does not mean I shall overlook this."

"It is as well." The old man conceded with a faint smile "I will tell you this, as a small reward for your observation: You and your 'father' act quite similar to a person I know too well-"

He was abruptly interrupted when he felt cold steel press against his neck. Despite being out of her armor, Berserker whipped Clarent out in an instant, her emerald eye turning crimson and her fair features formed a cold glare that stared straight into your soul.

"Never compare me to my father." she said in a tone of voice that was as frigid as the harsh, wintry wasteland the Einzberns called home "The next time you do, not even my respect for you will save you from my wrath. Are we clear?"

If Morimoto was even the most slightly ruffled at her display of callousness, he did a good job of hiding it. "Pardon me, Berserker-sama. I had spoken out of turn and it will not happen again."

"See that it does not." With that final command, Servant Berserker desummoned her sword and strode to her Master's quarters in a huff. As soon as she left, the tense atmosphere dissipated and the butler took this moment to catch his breath.

"Dear me..." he sighed in relief at having narrowly averted a horrible death "I had forgotten how scary it was to anger a Servant such as her like that..."

Regardless, he still had duty to perform, and tomorrow to plan for. So Daigoro Morimoto, Butler to the Einzbern Family, strode through the castle with dignity despite his experience, eager to see his tasks through.

* * *

_**The Next Morning...**_

_"What a night it has been..."_

Shirou Emiya was literally dragging his feet to school, having somehow recovered from that life threatening injury he had endured the day before.

He kept reminding himself to thank Tohsaka the moment he reached school. As she had explained earlier in the morning, she and Archer teamed up to bring him and Saber, who had been heavily wounded during her battle with Berserker, back to the Emiya Residence (despite Archer's misgivings and pointing out that killing them takes them out of the War)

"Still, it was nothing compared to this morning." He sighed to himself, remembering how hard it was explaining Saber's presence to Taiga Fujimura, his legal guardian, and to Sakura Matou, his childhood friend and junior in school. He also remembered his conversation with the blonde King of Knights before leaving for school this morning...

* * *

_"But why, Master?" Saber had asked the red-headed boy "I should be by your side at all times to protect you when an enemy Servant attacks!"_

_"I already told you to call me Shirou, and it's a no." he said firmly, not backing down from his position "One, Berserker nearly killed you last night. Two, no one's going to attacked me during school hours and risk revealing the existence of magic to the world. And three, I'm not letting you fight a battle I could fight for you!"_

_"Why do you care for my well-being? Is it because you see me as a mere girl?" she asked him as she maintained her ever stoic expression, which did well to hide the frustration inside her "As a Servant, I am your sword and your shield, and it is my duty to lay my life down for my Master!"_

_"Listen, it's too early for this discussion." Shirou sighed exasperatedly as he began to walk out the door "Please, just stay home. After last night, I don't think I'll let you fight against your own family. No one should."_

_With that last remark, he walked out the door, leaving Servant Saber to her thoughts. If he had stayed a second longer, he would have heard her murmur to herself._

_"It seems that our children have gotten themselves caught in our war. Kiritsugu…Irisviel…"_

* * *

"Perhaps I was too hard on her." Shirou sighed as he trudged closer to the gate, still sore from last night, when he suddenly felt a painful spike throughout his weary body.

_"Wh-what is this?!"_ The boy experienced a pain unlike any other, as if his breath was being taken away from him. Fortunately, it disappeared as quickly as it came.

"That was…" He found himself unable to finish his thoughts as the school bell rang to signal the start of classes. Deciding to consult Tohsaka later, he marched his way into Homurahara Gakuen, unaware that a female was watching him from afar.

* * *

_"Please tell me you're joking." _

Much to Servant Archer's dismay, he found that his Master Rin Tohsaka was dead serious about her latest course of action.

"I'm dead serious, Archer." Rin engaged in a whispered conversation with her Servant as they walked through the relatively empty school corridor "We're going to need to make an alliance with Emiya-kun if we want to survive this Grail war."

_"Why bother? He's as good as done anyway."_ The red-clad Counter Guardian shrugged as he attempted see her reasoning _"If both Saber and I were wounded, I would've understand. But, as you can see, I'm pretty much at 100%. If you really want to win the War, I say let's cut our losses and leave that kid to his fate."_

"And what, get our asses handed to us by Einzbern's Berserker again? You should've seen her parameters, they outmatch yours!" Rin countered with a slight frown on her face, though she noted to herself that she was only able to see them when Berserker removed her helmet "Face it, Archer; as hopeless as Emiya-kun is as a mage, we need his help. The most dangerous Servant we've faced so far is that Berserker and if we want to have at least the slightest chance of defeating her, as well as the other Masters, teaming up with him is our best option."

_"Oh, is that so?"_ Counter Guardian EMIYA said in his usual condescending tone_ "What happens after we deal with the others, then? Will you be willing to possibly kill him and his Saber, then claim the Grail for yourself?"_

This caused Rin to stop at mid-walk, quite stunned by the sudden gravity of his question. Will she really be willing to kill a person she could call an ally once his usefulness expired? Was she really that cutthroat enough to do so?

"...If it comes to that, then yes." She answered in a tone that, while still displayed her fiery spirit, sounded subdued "But for now, we need to focus on surviving the early stages of the war."

There was a moment of silence afterwards, something Rin took as her Servant contemplating her answer.

_"Geez, you're a troublesome Master, you know that?"_ Archer finally spoke, sighing as he submitted to her reasoning _"I still think it's a bad idea, but hey, you're the Master. I'm just the guy who follows your orders. Just be prepared for an 'I told you so' later on."_

"Noted." Rin chuckled as she entered the classroom, where her classmates, among them Shirou and his friend Issei Ryuudou, had already taken their seats. She and Shirou acknowledged each other with a mutual wave, much to the shock of Issei, just moments before Taiga Fujimura entered the classroom in her usual rambunctious fashion.

"Listen up!" She announced to the class with much gusto "We've got a new student today who'll be part of our class from now on! Why don't you come on in and introduce yourself?"

Taking this as her cue, a girl clad in the Homurahara Gakuen uniform entered the classroom for all to see. The first thing about the girl Shirou and Rin (and Archer who was in spirit form) noticed was her rich long blonde hair that was tied in a single braid, which had the shade and texture akin to spun gold; vibrant and soft. Her eyes were a deep purple and her features had a regal look to them. On her neck she wore an intricate silver cross with a small ruby in the center. She slightly exceeded Saber in stature and her figure, while slender, was quite robust especially around the bust.

As she wrote her name on the blackboard, Shirou and Rin, in addition to the rest of the class, found that they could not stop staring at her. She moved and acted with all the grace of a proper lady, which was befitting her already bedazzling appearance. This is especially the case for Shinji Matou, who Rin could've sworn was drooling at this point.

As soon as she had finished writing her name, the girl turned to the class with a calm, regal smile and bowed down in a polite fashion.

"My name is Leticia Chevalier Delacroix." She introduced herself in almost flawless Japanese "I hope to learn much in your care."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the forests outside Einzbern Castle...

"Get ready, Berserker!"

"Yes, Master!" The red knight, clad in her battle regalia, stood close to Ilya, her posture rigid as her glowing red eyes searched the fog for their foe. She waited in anticipation, as if she was a coiled viper ready to spring on to her target. She searched for a sign, any sign, that the opponent will make the attack.

That sign came in a glimmering light among the shroud.

Berserker immediately sprung into action, raising her weapon to successfully deflect three Black Keys that flew her way. A fourth one came in too quickly for her to react and, as a result, left a slight cut on her right arm.

"Berserker!" Ilya yelled as her body emanated a green glow, a tell-tale sign that she just used Healing Magic. Sure enough, the cut closed almost instantaneously, leaving no marks as if it was never there at all.

"You have my thanks, Ilya." Berserker said with a smile, though her helmet obscured it from view. She was pretty impressed with how far Ilya came in her studies as a Magus. Initially, the plan was to let Berserker (who was at the time going to be Heracles) plow his way through the opposition with sheer brute strength while Ilya would just sit back and watch.

_"What a thoughtless strategy."_ Berserker thought as golems came out of the mist to face the Master-Servant pair. While she did not mind doing majority of the fighting, there was no guarantee that an enemy Master would take advantage of her being busy battling another Servant to ambush Ilya from the shadows. Servant Assassin definitely would.

So, it was agreed that if there was to be a chance of victory, Ilya would have to pursue her studies as a Magus even further, learning the best spells the Einzberns, as well as magi before them, had crafted. She was confident that, with a little more polishing, Ilyasviel von Einzbern would become a competent mage.

If only she did not hesitate.

Up until now, Berserker found it hard to understand why her Master urged her to stay her blade, and why she obeyed even without a Command Spell compelling her to do so.

"Does she not want him dead?" From what Berserker could gather from the dreams she shared with her, Ilya harbored an intense hatred for Shirou Emiya. As he was the one who took her beloved father Kiritsugu from her, it was understandable that she wanted him dead for what he did. The Knight of Treachery understood her position, as she too felt betrayed by her "father" and wanted to take the throne for herself. To her, Ilya had every right to kill that oaf then and there.

But why didn't she? Why did Ilyasviel von Einzbern, who had the boy at her mercy, not kill him when he had the chance?

"Berserker, look out!"

The red-clad knight barely had time to react as the golem bounded towards her with a raised fist, shaking her out of her thoughts immediately. She ran her sword through it's arm with enough force to pierce steel, but she was not done yet. Using her free hand she grabbed the hapless automaton's arm and, with her strength augmented by Prana Burst, she swung the thing around and around, gathering enough momentum before tossing it back with a mighty roar at the other golem, causing both to shatter into hundreds of fragments.

"Nice one!" Ilya grinned as she cheered her Servant on "But you seemed out of it for a moment there. What's up?"

"My apologies, Master." Berserker chuckled nervously as Secret of Pedigree dissipated into prana particles "It seems I was not paying attention to my opponent earlier."

"Geez, Berserker! How're we gonna win if you space out like that?" The pale-skinned homunculus huffed, crossing her arms and puffing her cheeks as her expression turned into a frown.

Despite her turbulent thoughts, Berserker could not help but chuckle. She had always found her Master's animated expressions and childlike demeanor adorable.

"I shall do better next time, I promise." The Servant said with a small smile, choosing to set aside her misgivings for the time being. She remembered Morimoto's advice the other night and, despite the fact that she'll never admit it to his face, he was right about trusting in her Master.

"Now, I believe it's time for lunch." Ilya sighed as the fog vanished, revealing the trees that make up the forest on the outskirts of Einzbern Castle.

"Indeed. This training exercise has certainly worked up an appetite. I can eat enough to feed an army." Berserker nodded with a devilish grin. For she knew that somewhere in the forest, one Daigoro Morimoto paled at the prospect of feeding the Servant.

* * *

"Shirou…Oi, Shirou!"

"Eh?" The red-headed Emiya turned to Issei, whose bespectacled face wore an understandable frown as they ate lunch on the school's rooftop.

"It seems like you didn't hear me. Completely understandable since you've been spacing out again." Issei said with a twinge of exasperation in his voice.

"Sorry about that." Shirou chuckled sheepishly as his thoughts indeed wandered, mostly to what the Father Kotomine had told him yesterday about the Grail War and how people would kill just to have their wish come true.

_"I'm not going to let people die on my watch!"_ the red-head thought grimly, unable to bear the idea of people getting killed while he could do something about it.

"Well, get your head out of the clouds will you?" The _megane_ sighed as he shook crossed his arms and shook his head in dismay "Geez, you're as bad as Delacroix-san!"

"Eh?" The red-head gave his friend a quizzical look, wondering why his friend decided to make the new student the object of disdain "How so? She's been nothing but an absolute saint!"

"If she wasn't as scatterbrained as you are, then I might feel inclined to agree with you." Issei huffed, still feeling cross about the numerous incidents, among them Leticia absentmindedly slipped on a puddle while the janitor was mopping the cafeteria, spilling the contents of her _bento_ into poor Issei. It was a good thing he had a spare uniform in hand, otherwise he'd be smelling of food the entire day.

_"Big improvement, if you ask me."_ Shirou chuckled to himself. While he genuinely enjoyed Issei's company, it would help if he lightened up on girls a bit. "Still," he said aloud "I think you should give Delacroix-san a chance. She seems to be a nice person."

"...Fine." Issei finally relented, sighing as she did so "At least she seems better than Tohsaka. That girl can be so stuck up at times."

"Oh is that a fact?"

Both turned to see Rin Tohsaka, her left eye twitching and her mouth curled into an eerie smile, clenching her right fist as if to bop the megane on the head.

"This will not end well." Shirou thought as she watched Issei, who was shaking like a leaf but steeling his resolve, and how his ordeal with the pig-tailed brunette will resolve.

After taking a deep breath, Rin calmed herself before she resumed speaking "I'll deal with you another time, Ryuudou. As for now, I need to speak with Emiya-kun, if you don't mind."

Choosing not to say anymore, Issei nodded and exited with all haste, but not before flashing Shirou a look that said _'Beware this witch!'_

The red-headed Emiya could not help but chuckle as he watched his friend leave as fast as the wind can take him. Afterwards, he soon turned to address the Tohsaka magus "You wished to speak to me, Tohsaka-san?"

"Yes. About two thing, actually." Rin nodded, crossing her arms as she paused to collect her thoughts. Her green eyes glanced to the side as she finally spoke "I think it's in our best interests to have an alliance of sorts."

"Eh?" Shirou raised a brow at this statement. While he was grateful to her for helping him understand the War and saving his hide yesterday evening, it did not mean she was willing to form a partnership, especially when she herself said that they would be enemies from then on "What made you change your mind?"

At that, Rin swallowed her pride "Because as good as a Magus as I am, I don't think I can win against Einzbern, especially with that Berserker who nearly gutted you like a fish last night."

Shirou could not help but agree with Rin's statement, but chose not to say anything and let her continue.

"There's also the fact that there are still other Servants out there, like that Lancer that killed you earlier, that may be too much for even me to handle. That's where you and your Saber come in." Rin paused slightly to catch her breath, letting Shirou absorb everything she had said before continuing.

"In exchange, I can teach you some of what I know as a Magus. That way, we can improve the rather meager skills you have." At that point, Rin offered her hand in a sign of friendship "So, shall we call a truce?"

Shirou paused to consider her words. So far, this alliance has a lot of merit; with Rin's help, maybe he can keep Saber from hurting herself much like she did last night.

_"Even if I have to fight the war myself."_ He thought grimly as he shook hands with Tohsaka, cementing their alliance for the war.

"That's a relief, I was afraid you were going to say no." Rin sighed, obviously glad that Emiya was on her side.

"It can't be helped." Shirou sighed "If I can save more lives by joining up with you, so be it." The boy turned to her with a smile. "So, what was the second thing you wanted to tell me?"

"Oh, that." Rin said as her smile quickly turned into a serious expression "I'm sure you felt it too? The feeling as if the air became too thick to breathe in, as if you were shocked through the heart?"

Shirou nodded, knowing exactly what she meant.

"I suspected as much." The brunette said in a straight, to-the-point tone that showed that she was not kidding around. "Someone- a Master, no doubt, set up a Bounded Field inside this school. And if we don't do something about it, it'll drain everyone's mana within it."

"What?!" Shirou, his voice raised due to his shock, clenched his fists in anger "We have to do something!"

"Easy, Emiya-kun." Rin chuckled at her rather enthusiastic ally "We can still do something to prevent that from happening."

"How?" He dared to ask, but as soon as he did, the bell rang to signal the end of the break.

"Meet me here after school, Emiya-kun." Rin said as she went down the stairs with a smile "We can talk then!"

Just like that, Rin had gone ahead of him. Shirou shrugged as he immediately followed, having no idea just what he was in for.

* * *

"How was your day at school, milady?"

Leticia Chevalier Delacroix, who had been standing alone on the school's roof top just as classes had ended, turned to see her two companions, who she addresses in public as "G" and "L", knelt on one knee as they addressed their mistress. They each wore crisp, black suits that made them look akin to refined gentlemen.

"It was well, though I must properly apologize to Mr. Ryuudou for the earlier incident." The blonde girl, whose long, silky hair was tied in a single braid, giggled as she remembered the event "It would have been better if this Bounded Field was not so bothersome."

"It cannot be helped." L, the one whose long, black hair was tied in a ponytail, spoke in a stoic manner "The Master who set up it up must be quite desperate to resort to such a method."

"Indeed. Goes to show that not every Master has a noble-mind set" G, whose blonde hair shone as bright as the setting sun behind them, agreed with his compatriot before addressing his mistress "And what of the Servants? Are there any within the vicinity?"

"Yes, I can sense them. Two of them, in fact." Leticia nodded to affirm his query "Rider and Archer are present in this school- wait." closed her eyes for a brief moment, as if to meditate, before opening them once more "Another one approaches."

"Which one is it?" L was quick to ask "Is it Saber?"

"Nay." The blonde girl shook her head, her lips curving into a faint smile upon seeing the man's eagerness "It is the Servant Berserker. It seems the Einzbern Magus is making an aggressive move on her opponents."

"I see..." The black-haired man nodded, giving G the opening to speak.

"What shall we do now, Master?" he asked.

"Unless it is absolutely necessary, we do not interfere." Leticia turned to face the setting sun, a small smile showing in her delicate features "For now, we are but mere spectators in a most interesting Grail War."

**End Chapter 5**

* * *

_A/N: Ladies and Gentlmen, KING OF BEASTS RETURNS WITH A NEW CHAPTER! *Breathes deep* Whew, now that I got that out of the way..._

_If you've read the first four chapters and have been eagerly awaiting this one for the past two+ months, I sincerely apologize for taking so long and thank you for your continued support of Clarent Blood Arthur. Real life concerns plus a serious writer's block got in the way, but I'm back and, rest assured, I shall continue delivering fanfic goodness for a good long time._

_First, I agree with Nemrut; Mordred let Saber off to easily. So, I edited last chapter to include her reaction to being told to stand down to connect how she was feeling here. That way, it'll be more believable and in-character for the usually abrasive Berserker._

_Next, since the mysterious three make a reappearance, I'm sure you're all wondering who the heck they are. Well, I'm not going to give that one up that easily, but I left some hints here and there. Feel free to use them and guess at your own leisure. *Wink*_

_Okay, I think I'm almost done here..._

_Saber: You nearly forgot to tell them to leave a review again._

_Ah, sorry about that! *laughs nervously* kindly leave a review after you're done reading this chapter to give your thoughts and reactions. Now, Saber if you mind..._

_Saber: *sighs* Next time on** Clarent Blood Arthur: All for her Glory!**_


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